Organisers of the Sixth CIO Golf Championship, which will tee off at the Python Golf Club, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday, have announced a groundbreaking partnership with Kenya’s Safari Tour.
The Chief Executive Officer of Keeves Global Leasing, sponsors of the event, Ikenna Okafor, said that the objectives of staging the event were being realised with every passing edition.
“We came into golf sponsorship to use this platform to support, build, and expose the huge golf talent from this part of the world. Year after year, we have taken bold steps to reach our dream of making this event the ultimate stepping stone to stardom for professional golf players from Africa to the global stage,” he said.
Okafor said that the partnership with the Kenyan Safari Tour, operated by the Kenya Golf Union, will allow participants to gain qualifying points for the 2026 Magical Kenyan Open, a Challenge Tour (a second-tier European Tour schedule, now known as the DP World Tour).
“We are exploring all ways to get the huge African potential in professional golf showcased at the global level,” he added. With the development, the organisers have announced a record professional winning purse of N75 million (about $50,000) for this year’s event.
They said that apart from over 100 entries from Nigeria, entries have also been received from Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Lebanon, Equatorial Guinea and Gambia.
A member of the organising committee, Emmanuel Obiora, disclosed that for the first time, Nigerian players will be competing at home in a placement event for world ranking.
“The Sixth CIO event, we can say, has removed some stumbling blocks for the local talent. What is equally important is the synergy we are forging with a body like the Safari Tour, and the expansion of our hospitality and logistic competencies because of the huge interest that is now being shown across the continent for the event,” Obiora said.
The competition opened on Sunday with junior golfers taking to the field, while caddies took their turn yesterday. The event will also accommodate ladies, veterans, and club amateurs while it lasts. But the main attraction will be the assembly of top professionals who will be doing battle to take a chunk of the N75 million purse. Nigeria’s Sunday Olapade is the defending champion.
