I & M Bank cashes Shs60m into Serena 63 Series
L-R: Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa Director of Golf Theo Van Rooyen exchanges documents with I &M Bank Uganda Acting Managing Director Sam Ntulume as Annet Nakiyaga. PHOTO/EDDIE CHICCO)
What you need to know:
The amateur tournament which is set to run for 40 weeks with competitors going for a minimum 36 rounds from March 1 until December and the top rounds considered for prizes has overly been subscribed, according to tournament director Theodore van Rooyen.
The new Serena 63 Golf Series Championship at the par-72 Lake Victoria Resort & Spa has been a treated to a warm reception within its first month of existence.
The amateur tournament which is set to run for 40 weeks with competitors going for a minimum 36 rounds from March 1 until December and the top rounds considered for prizes has overly been subscribed, according to tournament director Theodore van Rooyen.
“Our target of entries was around the 63 mark but we have now 74 entries thus far,” he said during a press briefing at the clubhouse marina in Kigo yesterday.
The ‘Serena 63’ is derived from the course record of nine-under 63 set by Kenyan Dismas Indiza during the 2019 Uganda Professionals Open. “It’s something that has not been done yet in Uganda,” Van Rooyen stated.
To woo more light onto the championship, the event has attracted I & M Bank as the new sponsors, joining Serena Hotels and Uganda Airlines.
“I would like to thank Lake Victoria for having I & M Bank in what looks likes a promising amateur golf property in the land. I must say with absolute conviction that this is one of the best golf courses in Africa,” remarked Annette Nakiyaga, the bank’s head of marketing and corporate communications.
The uniqueness of the event has attracted a sponsorship package of $15000 (Shs56.1m) from I & M Bank.
“We were intrigued by the whole concept of naming it Serena 63,” noted I & M Bank acting managing director Sam Ntulume.
“The golfing fraternity are a big part of our clientele, and they tend to mirror the success of I&M Bank as an institution.
“And as the lead sponsors of this exciting tournament, we have reserved five slots to the I&M Invitational Golf Tournament in Kenya for the golfers that will accumulate the most points in this tourney,” added Ntulume.
Van Rooyen later announced that Indiza, if available, will take part in the tournament’s final prize giving ceremony on December 8.
TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK
Event: 1st Serena 63 Golf Series Championship
Venue: Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa
Registration: Mar 1 - Apr 1, 2023
Duration: Mar 1 - Dec 3, 2023
Entry Fees: Shs63000
Green Fees: $40 (Shs150,000) per round
Minimum Rounds: 36 (18 holes each)
Format: Stableford (full handicap)
