Ryder Cup Star Bjorn Gets To The Magical Kenya Open Swing

NAIROBI, Kenya- Three heavy hitters expected at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship- 15-time European Tour champion, and immediate former Ryder Cup captain, Thomas Bjorn; 2016 winner, Sebastian Soderberg; and his predecessor Haydn Porteous- are in the frame of challenging of for the top honours at Karen  Country Club.

At the same time, Johnnie Walker has announced that it will award the first golfer who holes out in one. The lucky golfer will receive a bottle of Johnnie Walker Odyssey and the prize will be on offer at the Par-3, 16th hole (current 7th) at the Karen Country Club.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing Qatar Masters, Bjorn, who will be making his return to Kenya 24 years after he first played at the tournament, said he looks forward to reliving the memories and lauded the efforts which have been put in place to elevate the tournament to the European Tour. 

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“I haven’t been there since 1995 and I enjoyed it back then, so it is going to be great to come back to see what it is like now.

"They have put a lot of time and effort into getting this tournament into being a regular Tour event so, I believe It’s going to be fun and interesting. I'm excited,” he said.

South Africa's Hadyn Porteous follows the flight of his shot at a past event. He is among the star players expected at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship next week. PHOTO/Courtesy

Bjorn finished tied in second at the 1995 edition, missing the top spot by five strokes to Englishman James Lee, but went ahead to win four other events on the calendar that year to emerge The Challenge Tour Rankings Champion.

Remarking on his memories of Kenya, Bjorn said that he appreciates the role the Kenya Open played in shaping his budding career.

“I went down there as a young professional in 1995 playing on the Challenge Tour and, having done some good work over the winter, I was really looking forward to the season and that got me off to a really good start.

"Obviously, I came up short, but it set me up for the rest of the season to win the Challenge Tour. It’s a place I have always wanted to go back to and now we are going back.”

Great tournament

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“The Kenya Open means a lot to me as it was my first Challenge Tour victory, so I am looking forward to come back and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I haven’t been at the Karen Country Club in a while so I am looking forward to it.

"For some reason, I have always played well in Kenya so I'm looking to a great tournament,” Soderberg who has featured at the Open for four consecutive years since 2015; winning it in 2016 and finishing sixth last year noted.

“It’s been a while since I have played in my backyard and I have some fun memories since I recorded my first win as a pro in Kenya. To go back there would just be magical and I hope I can do something like I did last time.”

“The first time I went to Kenya, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who turned up to watch golf, and now that the tournament is part of the European Tour, I expect even more people to turn up for the tournament," South African Haydn who will be featuring for the third time following a 48th finish in  2014 and victory the following year remarked.

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On the hole in one prize, Kenya Breweries Limited Managing Director, Jane Karuku reiterated the company’s support towards the growth of golf in the country.

“At KBL, we remain committed to contributing to the growth of sports in Kenya and indeed Johnnie Walker has a rich history of supporting golf locally.

"The brand recently partnered with the Kenya Open Golf Limited to sponsor the last two legs of the 2018/19 Safari Tour and also sponsored the hole-in-one prize during the tournaments.”

The signature golfing event in Kenya tees off on Thursday (March 14) and will be preceded by Pro-Am tournament on Wednesday. Tickets for the tournament can be purchased via the website www.kenyaopen.golf.

Tournament information

 Kenya Open Golf Championship 2019

Date (Main event): 14th to 17th of March 2019

Date (Pro-Am): Wed 13th March 2019

Venue: Karen Country Club

Total Prize Money: Euros 1.1 Million

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