Sports
COAS Pro-AM Golf Champion Plans Successful Defence
Port Harcourt-based professional golfer, Michael Ubi has said that he has started working towards defending the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Pro-Am Golf Tournament trophy in 2021, less than 48 hours after the title winning.
Ubi, who is a member of Python Golf Club of Port Harcourt, on Sunday in Abuja won the trophy for the pro category at the inaugural edition of the tournament.
The competition ended on Sunday at the TYB lntern-ational Golf Resorts and Country Club in Abuja.
“Winning was tough, because the opposition was very dynamic and challenging.
“But what that means also is that the next edition of the tournament is going to be very very tough and exciting.
“Therefore, I will have to start preparing from now, if I am hoping to retain the title. I will have to work hard for it,” Ubi told newsmen.
He grossed 139 over 36 holes to emerge the 2020 winner in an event which saw his main challenger, Bala Abdullahi of Ashaka Cement Golf Club, running up very close.
Abdullahi had trailed with the same gross score margin but ended up with one over par, as against Ubi’s level par score.
S. Okpe of Minna Cantonment Golf Club and J. Okoromi of Ilorin Golf Club both scored 140 gross over 36 holes to jointly place third.
In the tournament’s senior tour pro category, M. Liman of IBB International Golf and Country Club in Abuja emerged the winner.
Tina Micah of Rhyno Golf Club of Jos won the lady professionals title with a 166 gross over 36 holes.
The overall best gross trophy went to John Alex of Otukpo Golf Club after playing 70.
The captain of Kaduna Golf Club, H. Adamu, won the overall best nett title with 62.
David Ali won the best gross in the tournament’s Category 1, while best nett in categories 2 and 3 respectively were won by S. Icha and Osarenren J.N. respectively.
The TYB-International Golf Resorts and Country Club’s patron and Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has since directed that the Pro-Am golf tournament be made an annual event.
He also directed that provisions be made for it in the 2021 budget of the Nigerian Army.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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