Johnnie Walker Classic Series returns

Local professional golfers will participate in the 2021/2022 Johnnie Walker Classic Series launched on  Wednesday at Vet Lab Sports Club.

Dubbed “Road to Gleneagles”, the Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) sponsored event will traverse 16 golf clubs across the country culminating in the grand finale at the end of the series in May 2022.

The tournament will played in a stable ford, four ball format with the top three teams (12 players) at every event qualifying event, where the overall winning team will win an all-paid trip to the iconic Gleneagles Golf Course in Scotland.

To enhance engagement and competition, the series will consist of 18 qualification rounds across participating clubs where 216 golfers will qualify to play in the latter stages of the event.

This will then be followed by a semi-final round (Eagle Round) to reduce the field to the top 25 teams – or 100 players – who will get to play at the grand finale for the coveted prize.

Additionally, the series will incorporate professional golfers for the first time in the competition with the aim of providing them with the much needed exposure and improved competitiveness in the lead up to the main events – the Magical Kenya Open and the Kenya Savannah Classic.

The pros will play in two rounds starting on Friday where at stake will be Sh500,000 per event.

Vet Lab Sports Club will have the privilege of hosting the opening round of the new series this coming weekend. Thereafter, it will move to Thika Greens Golf Resort on November 27.  

Speaking during the launch of the series, KBL Managing Director John Musunga said the tournament is part of the company’s commitment towards supporting golf development in the country.

“Through this series, we aim to continue with our commitment towards supporting the growth and development of golf in the country by offering golfers, both professional and amateur, a chance to play.

As KBL, we believe in sports as a powerful avenue to interact with our customers of our various brands and this will therefore be a great platform for us to interact with consumers of the Johnnie Walker brand,” he said.

“We shall also seek to use this competition to promote golf tourism in the country to ensure we steer it to the next level. The status of golf in Kenya has been on an upward trajectory and continues to show that it has the potential to become a hugely popular sport as more and more people continue to embrace it.

We therefore hope that through this circuit, we shall contribute towards the development of the sport by encouraging more people to participate in it," he added.

On his part, Vet Lab Sports Club Captain George Kingori said the tournament is a welcome chance for local golfers to play and showcase their talents:

“We are delighted that this tournament is back, and it is a great opportunity for golfers around the country to compete for such a coveted prize. It is the dream of every golfer to play at the iconic Gleneagles Golf Course and KBL is presenting that chance to our golfers.

I thank KBL for organisng this competition which will go a long way in promoting the sport of golf in the country,” he said.

This competition is open to Kenyan residents aged 25 years and above. To enter, applicants will be required to register through an online registration form to be made available on their respective club websites.