NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 3 – Kenya Vision 2030 sponsored pro Eric Ooko believes success at the ongoing Magical Kenya Open will entail certain levels of mind play.
The Golf Park pro told Capital FM Sport that playing against the crème de la crème of DP World Tour requires considerable amounts of physical and mental wellness.
Ooko is one of the 12 golfers being sponsored by the Kenya Vision 2030 at this year’s Magical Kenya Open.
The team received a financial boost of Ksh 200,000 each from Vision 2030 Director General Ken Mwige towards the players’ logistical support .
Speaking prior to the afternoon tee off at the tenth tee, Ooko said: “My prayer is to remain focused through and through. You know you need mental strength to handle the nature of pressure that comes with play in this competitive atmosphere.”
He added, “Like today, we are playing at Muthaiga and this is definitely not the Muthaiga we played in the recent past.”
“I can guarantee you now that this is a different Muthaiga. I practiced with the winner of the Kenya Open in 2018 (Lorenzo Gagli) and when I inquired from him about the things they do to stay competitive, I realised there is a lot to do in terms of metal play.”
“As Kenyans we are like three or four strokes behind the visitors. But we have been working on that and I believe things will begin to look up,” Ooko added.
Ooko says he’s content with his performance so far this year finishing third at the Safari Tour’s Order of Merit.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kenya Vision 2030 for the amazing support they have extended to the local and regional pros. We have been struggling with the finances. We do appreciate what the Government is doing for us. And we shall work together as a team,” underscored Ooko.
A strong field of 156 players are gracing this year’s Open which is part of the DP World Tour series, formerly European Tour. The pros are battling it out for a share of Ksh 220,000,000 (1,750,000 Euros) prize fund.
