1 day Ago By Guardian Nigeria
Nigeria’s Sunday Olapade, at the weekend, won the Fifth CIO Golf Championship, at the Python Golf Club, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with a brilliant score of 271, 17 under par. Olapade shot 65, 71, 69, and 66 on each of the event days to top the leaderboard, which included golfers from eight other African countries that featured in the N45 million purse event. “I am very happy and just want to thank all who made this happen, especially the organisers, and the leadership of the CIO,” an excited Olapade said after the event.
The win at Python Golf Club sealed a 100 per cent entry record for him in three tournaments. He had won the Cote d’Ivoire Open, and Ghana’s PGA Championship in succession, making him the first player to achieve a treble across West Africa in a stretch. Speaking after the competition, the CEO of Keves Global Leasing, which bankrolled the CIO Championship, Ikenna Okafor, said that he was not surprised at Olapade’s feat, which, he said, only underscores how hard work and focus are essential tools for success.
“Olapade won the 2022 edition of the CIO Championship, and watching him this year reveals the work he has invested into his game. I have some players that I keep tabs on, and Olapade’s dedication sets him apart. I think he is a good example, and he has thrown a challenge to the bulk of young talented field behind.
” Okafor said the joy for him and any golf enthusiast is the quality of scores that made the leaderboard. “The players are returning great scores,” he added. Olapade’s winning score was five shots better than Wemba Sydney, the Zambian professional, who returned a 66, six under par in the closing round to pick the runner-up spot.
The trio of Monday Eze (Nigeria), Mapwanya Visitor (Zimbabwe), and Michael Bulabula tied for third place returning an aggregate 280, eight under par for the event. The championship featured 140 professional golfers and included 240 amateur players from different parts of Nigeria and Africa. The Director of the Professional Golfers’ Association of Nigeria, Tony Philmoore, described the CIO event as the biggest golf event on the Nigerian Tour in a long while, and it attests to the growth that is being experienced in the game in Nigeria.
“This is the growth we have worked and laboured for and we are happy that the right partnerships are birthing landmark events like this. We are very grateful to all that made this happen,” he said..
