Willy Crowned Golf Champion in Gabon, head for Cameroon

Nigerian professional golfers Gift Willy, has recorded his second win in three starts outside the country with his latest recorded at Gabonese port city, Port Gentil.

Willy who earlier on February 18 pocketed the highest golf event in Banjul, The Gambia won the event with a seven strokes advantage over little known Ghanaian Godwin Sai and subsequently became the hottest pro golfers on the west coast of Africa.

“It was the mental eye that I have over other players here. My game is still not at the best shape” he had said after pocketing the over 2,500 Euros at stake at the event.

He added that despite the winning score he posted in Port Gentil, he was not his best. “I struggled with my swing unlike in Gambia where my putting and swing were in the best shape. I think what helped me was because I know I know how to get the job done despite those flaws and again my mental side was stronger than everyone on the field.” He said.

Willy was the only player that shot scores lower than the course par for the entire rounds in Port Gentil, he shot, 71, 70, 71, 70 to win the event with six under par. Nigeria’s Basiru Bakare placed third at the event which was a repeat of what he shot at the earlier event in Moanda where the Nigerians failed to retain the title that was held by their late colleague, Ali Abdullahi.

With Willy, win he has relocated to Yaoundé ahead of the Cameroon International Golf Championship which holds one of the biggest prize purse in the region with 40, 000 Euros, and he says early arrival will help him rehearse the course and fix the flaws ahead of the tee-off of the event on May 11. Willy added that he would maximize the advantage of his early arrival.

“In Cameroon, I am not expecting anything less than a win. I have played with most of the player that would be showing up, so I know what to expect in a way. But I expect it to be the tougher than the other events, more Nigerian players are would be coming including from South Africa and Europe. I will just keep my focus and that is very important.”

He says the Yaounde golf course is also another challenge on it own and he believes it will take the best of artistry to conquers it. “You don’t only need to know how hit the shots, you must know how to shape shots to return good scores in Yaounde. I believe I am ready” he said.

Olufemi dies in car crash

Nigeria's International and Greece based professional player Adefemi Olubayo has been confirmed dead in car accident.

Greek Police reports that, the 25-year old lost control of his car on the Egnatia motorway while en route from Xanthi to Salonika.

The 2006 Isreali FA cup winner with Hapoel Tel Aviv signed for Xanthi last summer and made 24 appearances for the club, scoring twice and several assists. He has features three times for Nigeria.

The Club and Greek Football released a statement expressing its deepest sympathy for the family of Olubayo.

World Golfers Championship to tee-off in Shagamu

The eighteen-hole stretch Shagamu Golf Course, will again become the center of attraction in Southern-Western Nigeria as the hostilities for the 2011 World Golfers Championship get set to return among nation’s top amateur golfers.

Organisers of the event Global Golf has hinted that, Shagamu would now be the convergence point for all Southern-Western amateur golfers willing to take part in the event as the regional qualifying hub.

Rasaq Ayinde Sanni, CEO of the outfit had earlier hinted that the 2011 version of the World Golfers Championship that parades golfers in five different handicap divisions should leapfrog other editions in-terms of entrance and golfers should be ready to accommodate innovations in a bid to get the event better.

Spokesman for the group Obinna Duru added that, it would be their joy to lead a team that would win the event and hence their choices should be seen as effort to enhance the challenge to produce national finalists in the event.

“We believe the ambiance of the regional final’s venues would create the kind of atmosphere we want to sustain at the final and hence at the global final which is being moved to South Africa after a brilliant edition in Thailand last year” Duru offered.

According to Global Golf, the regional qualifiers would tee-off from Port Harcourt on June 10^th and 11^th; the event would be contested for over 18 holes on June 11 while the preceding day is expected to be arrival, registration and practice round for athletes competing for the event at the Port Harcourt Golf Club, Rivers State.

The train then moves to Shagamu where, all Lagos golf clubs; Ikeja, Ikoyi, Dolphin and other clubs from South-western states, Ibadan, Tiger, Ewekoro, Abeokuta, Ekiti, MicCom and Benin are expected to earn their qualifiers to the national finals of the World Golfers Championship billed for September 3^rd and 4^th in Uyo, Akwa Ibom at the Le Merien Hotel and Golf Resort facility.

The northern elimination round will be hosted at IBB International Golf and Country Club in Abuja on August 1^st and 2^nd, just three weeks leading to the national finals in Uyo.

Last year at the global finals, Eddy Peters led the Nigeria team in category one to Thailand. The team also included Okey Igwe, Suzan Cole-Kotas, Anthonia Maduakwu and Albert Bassey Akpan.

NTDC Henchman Hint of Own Championship for Tourism Cause

Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the charismatic Director General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Commission has left clues that, its office may be looking to the game of golf to promote and drive tourism in the country.

Runsewe, himself amateur golfer who took part in the recently concluded World Corporate Golf Challenge that was hosted at the Le Meridien Golf Club in Ibom declared that such occasion was a super boost to the local tourism industry and said more of it can only further the industry.

He however added that, a golf event deliberately fashion out for this purpose should not be far fetched if the tourism industry was to be developed and sustained.

“Golf and Tourism go together and that is what is what the commission is about.”

He later mentioned that an NTDC Classic that would offer a hansdsome purse for the professional golfers is in the pipeline and could be staged anytime soonest.

The NTDC boss who was awed, the standard of the Ibom Golf facility that hosted the WCGC finals said the country needs more of such, which he believes will accelerate golf development and in return local and international tourism enhancement.