Safaricom’s mobile money platform, M-PESA, has announced a sponsorship of KSh 26.8 million for the third edition of the Magical Kenya Ladies Golf Open. This tournament, which is the only one of its kind on the continent and the first of 39 events on the Ladies European Tour 2023 Calendar, provides a unique opportunity for the development of emerging female golfers in the region.

The event will take place from February 2nd to 5th at the Vipingo Ridge Baobab Course in Kilifi County and will feature 96 players from around the world competing in a 72-stroke competition. Safaricom has been the main sponsor of the tournament since its inception in 2019 and last year, the company offered a sponsorship of KSh 20 million.

Additionally, East African Breweries PLC (EABL) announced a Ksh 15 Million sponsorship towards the tournament and will serve as the official alcoholic beverages partner and activate the sponsorship through its premium spirits brand, Johnnie Walker. The sponsorship aligns with EABL’s Keep Walking philosophy, which supports the tournament’s mission of promoting gender diversity and inclusion in sports.

Safaricom will provide additional support to the participating Kenyan players in the form of financial sponsorship and equipment. The company is also dedicated to developing new talent and will sponsor four female junior golfers from last year’s Safaricom Golf Tour to participate in the Pro-Am tournament on February 1st. Another, 100 junior golfers will have the opportunity to attend a full-day clinic with coaching from professional golfers.

The Kenyan team will be led by Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Academy star Naomi Wafula, VetLab’s Mercy Nyanchama, 16-year-old Chanelle Wangari, and Golf Park’s Nancy Wairimu. These players will be competing in the amateur category.

International golfers that are expected to participate in the tournament include defending champion Esther Henseleit, a German lady professional, who hopes to retain her title for the third time. However, she will face competition from Marta Sanz Barrio of Spain and Linnea Strom of Sweden, who finished second and third respectively in last year’s competition. The tournament has a total prize pool of  $300,000 while the winner walks away with $45,000

Golf Johnnie Walker Kenya M-Pesa sponsorship