Golf: CIO Championship Win Earns Epe Kenya Open Ticket

Nigeria’s professional golf prodigy, Francis Epe, has secured a spot in the 2026 Magical Kenya Open, a flagship event on the DP World Tour, scheduled for February 19–22 at Karen Country Club in Nairobi, Kenya.

Epe earned his qualification by emerging as the champion of the 6th CIO Golf Classic, held in November 2025 at the Python Golf Club in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The tournament featured a competitive field of over 100 players and offered a $50, 000 prize purse.

The CIO Championship holds special significance as the only event of its kind in West Africa integrated into the Safari Tour mini-league qualification system.

Through this pathway, top performers across select Safari Tour-affiliated events accumulate points, with top finishers securing one of two exemption tickets to the $2.7 million Magical Kenya Open—one of the few DP World Tour events hosted in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Magical Kenya Open represents a major platform for African talent to compete on the global stage. The second ticket was claimed by Rwandan professional Celestin Nsanzuwera.

Chief Ikenna Okafor, a passionate golfer and the CEO of Keeves Global Leasing—who has sponsored and funded the CIO Championship since its inception—hailed Epe’s achievement as a landmark moment for Nigerian professional golf.

“This success marks a major milestone for Nigeria’s professional golf scene,” Okafor said.

“It demonstrates that it is both more accessible and more progressive for our players to earn tickets to international events through strong local tournaments. By building these pathways at home, we are nurturing talent, raising standards, and positioning Nigeria as a growing force in African and global golf.”

He further said that the CIO Championship will further elevate the event, including intentions to increase the prize purse in future editions to create even more opportunities for local and regional professional golfers.