Custodian classic: 80 African golfers to vie for N10m in Lagos

Organisers of the maiden custodian classic professional golf development say it will debut at the golf section of the Ikoyi Club on March 23 with the sum of N10 million.

The classic, which would run till March 25, is in line with the latest efforts aimed at giving professional golfers in Nigeria the leverage needed to elevate the sport.

Speaking on Monday, Wole Oshin, group managing director of Custodian Investment, said they are sponsoring the classic so as to develop golf while helping to increase the demography that represented professional golfers in the country.

“We believe this tour would provide the much-needed platform for professional golfers to showcase their talent to the world,” Oshin said.

“Golf holds so much potential for the youth population in Nigeria and aside from the sport helping individuals to develop the character necessary for life and living, it also represents a huge reservoir of untapped income for the players.”

Oshin said the sponsor had been a vanguard in golf promotion and the latest effort demonstrated its commitment to exposing golfers in Nigeria to the global stage.

The Professional Golf Development Tour (PGDT) was launched in January this year with the Meristem Open which was hosted at the Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Estate in Lagos.

The Custodian Classic, which would be played over 56 holes, has already attracted over 80 players from Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Togo.

The entrants include the Ghanaian duo of Vincent Torgah and Emos Korblah, who at different times had enjoyed successes on the Nigerian PGA Tour.

Francis Ekpe, the tour’s leading player, along with Sunday Olapade, Oche Odoh, Gift Willy, and Kamalu Bako have signed up.