Past Winners since 2000

2007 Edoardo Molinari

2006 Johan Axgren

2005 Daniel Vancsik

2004 Marc Cayeux

2003 No tournament

2002 Lee S. James

2001 Ashley Roestoff

2000 Trevor Immelman

Rwanda’s top golfer Emmanuel Ruterana will not rub shoulders with some of the Africa’s best when the 2008 Tusker Kenyan Open Championship tees off tomorrow at the Karen Golf and Country Club in Nairobi.

The 26-year-old pulled out of the four-day championship after failing to recover from a fever that has kept him off the golf course for the past four days.

Speaking to Times Sport, Ruterana said, "I feel very bad because I have been looking forward to playing in this year’s Kenya Open. It is one of the biggest competitions on the continent".

This year, the Rwanda Open champion was eyeing an improved attempt at the Challenge Tour event after crashing out in the qualifier round last year. "This is really disappointing. I was desperate to make amends after missing the all-important cut last year. But I do intend to make a come back next year and hopefully have a great tournament," the BCR sponsored golfer disappointedly said.

The 72 holes stroke play championship is expected to draw entries from all over the World and will be a stepping stone for the European PGA main Tour.

Tyrone Ferreira, who secured eighth place and a cheque for €27,060 at January’s Joburg Open, is one of the in-form players in this year’s field, along with England’s Iain Pyman, who finished two shots and six places behind Ferreira at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.

The pack may however find low scores hard to come by at Karen Country Club, as its 6,951 yard par 70 course presents a challenging test. The lowest winning total is ten under par 270, posted by Sweden’s Johan Axgren in 2006 and Zimbabwe’s Marc Cayeux in 2004.

A cash prize of €28.800 is at stake for the winner of the 40-year old championship that will climax on Sunday.

The Kenya Open which is the oldest Championship on the African Leg of the P.G.A European Challenge Tour has been played since 1967 but only became a Challenge Tour event in 1991.

Ends