Sports
African Tour: Golfers From Seven Countries Expected To Participate
Tournament Director of the African Tour, Edwin Osuhor, at the weekend revealed that golfers from at least seven countries were expected to feature in the 1st October Golf Championship in Port Harcourt.
Tidesports source reports that the championship which is the fourth edition of the African Tour’s annual event is usually staged to mark the Nigerian Independence.
The Nigeria@59 championship is expected to tee off on Saturday and end on October 1 at the Port Harcourt Golf Club.
Osuhor told newsmen in Abuja that players from seven African countries, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and hosts Nigeria, would battle for honours in this year’s tournament.
He noted that the annual independence tournament had become the best-attended event on the Tour.
“Last year, a record number of spectators enjoyed the fun at the Port Harcourt Club’s Golf Section when Ghana’s Vincent Torgah claimed the title.
“This golf tournament which features some of the game’s top players in the region has gained a reputation over the years as the most raucous event on the African Tour and for good reason.
“The 18th and 9th holes of the host course of this event are home to one of the most enthusiastic crowds on the African Tour,” Osuhor said.
The tournament director explained that there would also be some smaller events organised as part of activities to mark the Independence tournament.
“This year’s tournament is nearly a week long, spanning over two weeks.
“On Thursday and Friday, the pros will play practice rounds to get ready for when each stroke counts.
“There will also be a ‘Beat The Pro Contest’ amongst young players whose ages range from 6 to 18, where any player who beats a pro by having his or her ball closer to the pin than the pros will win a gift voucher worth 100 U. S. dollars.
“The fun really begins on Friday with the qualifying event for new pros seeking a spot in this year’s event. It is a one-day contest featuring pro golfers paired with scratch amateurs.
“The actual tournament officially begins on September 28 where a lot of notable golfers around Africa will be out to make the cut,” he said.
Tidesports also gathered that some of the notable players expected to feature in the tourney include defending champion, Vincent Torgah from Ghana.
There will also be 2016 and 2017 champions, Nigeria’s Andrew Odoh and Kingsley Oparaku, respectively.
Others are Cameroon’s Priestly Nji; the winner of the 2019 Shagamu Cup, Francis Epe; winner of the 2019 South-East Shoot-out, and Emos Koblarh; the number two player in the Order of Merit (O. D. M.).
The rest are Olapade Sunday; number three (O.D.M), Gift Willy; number five (O.D.M) and Mike Ubi; number six (O.D.M).
Tide sports reports that with just four events left before curtains fall on the 2019 Tour season, players will be looking to win.
Winning will help them improve their positions on the Order of Merit as this tournament offers 4,000 merit points.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
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