Magical Kenya Open cancelled
President Uhuru Kenyatta handovers the Magical Kenya Open prize to winner Guido Migliozzi (left) on March 17, 2019 at Karen Country Club.
What you need to know:
- The European Tour had already included the tournament in the schedule of the 2020 second half.
- The Open was to go on at the same time with the US Masters at Augusta USA.
The 2020 Magical Kenya Open golf tournament, which had been re-scheduled for November 12 to 15 at Karen Country Club after being postponed in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic, has now been cancelled altogether until 2021.
The decision to cancel the Kenya Open, sponsored and presented by Absa Kenya, was made after a consultation between the Kenya Open Golf Limited and the European Tour who jointly made the announcement on Thursday.
The two bodies came to the conclusion that, it will not be possible to stage a meaningfully event with the current Covid-19 threat.
It is the first time since 2003 that the Open has failed to take place, and the third time since the event started in 1967. The first time the event was not held was in 1976 because of the lack of sponsorship.
Initially, the 2020 open which was going to take place as part of the European Tour series for the second year running, had been scheduled for March 12 to 15 at the par 72 Karen Country Club course which also hosted the 2019 edition won by Italy’s Guido Migliozzi. It was postponed because of the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Following the Kenya Open Golf Limited and the European Tour announcement on Thursday, the tournament will instead be part of the European Tour’s schedule in 2021, returning to a March date which has been the tradition since the first Kenya Open Championship in 1967.
“We are continually grateful for the close relationship that we enjoy with the European Tour. By sharing insights with us on the ever-changing landscape of the international golf tournaments, we were able to make an informed decision to once again postpone the Magical Kenya Open to a more suitable time next year,” said Peter Kanyago, the Chairman of Kenya Open Golf Limited.
“The European Tour enjoys a successful long-term relationship with Kenya Open Golf Limited and we are grateful for their continued support. We look forward to working closely with them in the coming months as we prepare to return to Karen Country Club next year,” said Ben Cowen, the European Tour Deputy Chief Operating Officer International.
