In golf, an amateur is a player who is not eligible to receive prize money in handicap competitions, compete professionally or accept payment from golfing services. So, no matter how high up an amateur rank on the leaderboard, they go home with zero.
At the Safaricom Magical Kenya Ladies Open in Vipingo held recently, Kenya’s Naomi Wafula placed 56th and would have earned Sh146,000 if she was a pro. India’s Avani Prashanth placed an impressive 9th, which would have earned her Sh838,000 if she was a pro.
While on the surface, the non-payment, or paying with exposure to use the local parlance, appears to be unfair, golf is the only sport that allows a developing golfer to compete alongside top professionals in top tournaments.
At the ongoing 2023 Dubai Ports (DP) World Tour Magical Kenya Open at the Muthaiga Golf Club, the country will be represented by six amateurs: Dennis Maara (Limuru Country Club), John Lejirmah (Kenya Railways Golf Club), Jay Sandhu, Njoroge Kibugu and Daniel Kiragu (Muthaiga) and Adel Balala (Nyali Golf and Country Club).
Notably, Kibugu, the 19-year-old, earned his place in the Open by virtue of being the only Kenyan golfer who made the cut during last year’s Open, and he finished 64th overall.
“Making the cut changed my life. It helped me realize my potential, showing that I can compete with the best,” Kibugu says.
Maara is the amateurs’ team captain. Maara, who is 32, started playing golf as an eight-year-old, inspired by his dad, an avid golfer. In 2022, Maara led Team Kenya to reclaim the Victoria Cup title from Uganda and to win bronze at the Zone V Golf Championships in Addis Ababa, and he is raring to take his first tee shot.
“We have done a lot of tournaments here in Kenya and beyond. We have just done a stint in South Africa, where we played three tournaments Just to get in competition mode. We have a coach, physio, and psychologist, so this year is the year that we can say that we are best prepared,” Maara says confidently.
Lejirmah, 32 years, emerged in 2022 as ranked by the Kenya Golf Union. He started off as a caddy, and his prowess on the greens now sees him rub shoulders with global golfing elites. His passion for the sport is also personal.
“Getting a chance to play in the Kenya Open really means a lot to me. Especially for a guy like me from Samburu, you know, with the story of cattle rustling. I would like to take this opportunity to tell guys at home there are way more good things out there,” Lejirmah says.
For Sandhu, 41 years, this is a dream come true: “Oh, it means a lot to me. Especially at my age, you know, this is the ultimate experience for an amateur golfer in this country. It’s the real prize for winning or for being the top amateur in the country. It means the world to us. Plus, we get to play with all our heroes. You know, the guys you watch on TV? It’s an amazing experience.”
Balala, 24 years, who now trains under the tutelage of Salim Ali at the Vipingo Ridge PGA Academy, hopes to emulate the exploits of his Academy-mate Naomi Wafula. Naomi made history when she made the cut at the recently held 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open, a European Tour event.
Balala has ideas about how young golfers in the country can be offered a pathway to golfing success.
“The best way to promote the sport, especially for young people around the country, would be to develop a professional golf tour,” he says.
These sentiments are in line with the Safaricom Golf Tour launched in 2022 that aimed at demystifying the sport and nurturing and growing new talent in the sport across the country.
The 2023 Magical Kenya Open is part of the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour). It has attracted over 156 golfers from across the world, including eight Kenyan professionals, six Kenyan amateurs as well as the defending champion Ashun Wu from China, competing for the total prize money of KES 249 million.
The amateurs played at the 56th edition of the Kenya Open at the Muthaiga Golf Club from 9th to 12th March 2023.
As part of its commitment to support sporting talent in the country, Safaricom provided financial support of 1.2 million shillings in total to the six Kenyan amateurs who played at the 2023 DP World Tour Magical Kenya Open.
This is in addition to the 11 million shillings sponsorship deal which also included a fully kitted media centre, internet connectivity in key functional areas, devices and airtime for communication support during the Open.
