Seed-Co sponsors K4m for pros in LL Open
This year’s Lilongwe Open Golf main sponsor Seed Company (Seed-Co) Malawi has offered $5 000 (about K4 million) prize money for the professionals’ category.
The tournament, which will attract a field of 30 local and foreign professionals from Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi, is slated for November 13 to 15 at Lilongwe Golf Club (LGC).
Confirming the sponsorship through a statement issued yesterday, Seed-Co Malawi managing director Boyd Luwe said they thought of stepping up the hype for the tournament by offering professionals an early Christmas gift.
“We also bear in mind the fact that professionals play golf for a living and it is their only source of income,” he said.
Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of Malawi president General Henry Odillo (Retired) said they are excited with the news.
He said: “This incentive comes as a succour to the players who have suffered due to the ban on sporting activities because of Covid-19.”
This will be the second time for Seed-Co to sponsor the Lilongwe Open after hosting a similar event last year complemented by its business partners such as NBS Bank, Standard Bank, Nico, Toyota Malawi and FDH Bank.
Seed-Co is a leading supplier of superior crop seeds such as hybrid maize, soy beans, groundnuts, sugar beans and vegetables produced from their own parent seed under contract by an established producer network with a vision to dominate agro-industry in Africa.
Commenting on the condition of the golf course, LGC golf captain Thomas Chafunya said: “The course is in fantastic condition . We have put extra effort to make the greens wider and much atoned. We look forward to hosting the second Seed-Co Lilongwe Open Golf Tournament, one of the biggest tournaments on our calendar with international professionals in attendance.”
PGA Malawi vice-president Patridge Shycal said the tournament will be played over three days under stroke-play format with the first day featuring a combination of professionals and amateurs in Championship Division while the next two days will have the pros, championship as well as Division A and B categories.
In last year’s event, Chidale won the professional’s category which saw him register a personal best score since turning professional while youthful Chris Mzokomera won the Championship Division.
Chidale’s score shot of minus 3 on the first day followed by a minus 6 on the second day, saw him with a remarkable total of minus nine (135 gross) while Mzokomera had a gross score of 228.
