Diani Beach Masters returns next season
What you need to know:
- KGU also announces changes in ranking system for amateur championship series.
The Kenya Golf Union (KGU) has released the calendar for 2024 Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series, with an additional event introduced in the series and a change in the ranking system.
The 2024 KAGC season will see the revival of Diani Beach Masters, to be hosted by Diamond Leisure Lodge Golf Resort in Diani, South Coast, from October 18 to 20.
“We welcome the event back to the calendar because it is an additional platform for our top amateurs to compete for the prize money and ranking points,” KGU Tournaments Director David Ndung’u said Wednesday.
The series will start with Sigona Bowl at Sigona Golf Club from January 26 to 28.
At the same time, the KGU-owned Kenya Amateur Match play Championship will be held from July 11 to 14 at Sigona Golf Club, while the Kenya Amateur Stroke play Championship returns to the Coast, but this time at Nyali Golf and Country from August 1 to 4.
“Next year, we will use a tiered points system to award KAGC points, based on the strength of the field that each event attracts, and the events will be categorized into three tiers,” added Ndung’u.
In the ended season, the KAGC series which offers a platform for ranking amateurs both locally and for World Amateur Golf Ranking, was made up of 26 events while a total of 27 have been lined up in 2024.
KGU chairman Philip Ochola thanked title sponsors NCBA Bank who supported all the events with prize money.
“We are proud as a union to have our golfers earn a living out of playing golf, and we hope for more collaborations with sponsors in future to increase the purse and make the series more attractive,” he said.
For the first time this year, a Kenyan player (Michael Karanga) broke into the top 100 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.