Golf: Eben-Spiff wins 6th Lakowe Lakes championship

Peter Eben-Spiff, the three-handicapper, upturned an eight strokes deficit from the opening round to win the 6th Lakowe Lakes Golf Club’s Championship on Sunday.

Winning for the third straight edition, Eben-Spiff had trailed early leader Tunji Adebayo who shot 75, three over course par and had hoped to close the round after garnering a decent margin over the eventual winner.

“I have come only to support those I believe were more positioned to win in this championship. I cherish this win and I thank all who gave me the opportunity to rise to the podium here again,” Eben-Spiff said moments after he won from the three-hole play-off that the club declared after he earlier returned a brilliant 76 to tie Adebayo’s closing 84 for joint clubhouse lead.

The win extended the club’s record on the number of wins (three), and the only player to have done it back-to-back.

Adebayo, also a former winner, is tied with Tim Ayomike and Timothy Maguire as players with one win a-piece.

Fatumata Coker, defending champion of the Ladies’ title, fought spiritedly to post a respectable 163 gross score over 36 holes to extend her dominance of the class, same as Kim Tai Chul, the veteran winner, who fended off threat from Francis Olo for fourteen strokes win of the veteran’s title.

Other winners include Jae Hae Lee, who went home with the lady’s net prize, and Oyenike Aworanti, who was runner-up to Lee in the net class.

Remi Edu was the best net player for gentlemen after beating David Maji to the second place with eleven strokes.

Femi Olagbenro, the golf manager, said the latest championship was one of the most keenly contested in the club’s history.

“No winner has ever emerged through play-off and the fact that we have witnessed this has given a different coloration to this year’s version, in addition to the rising level of each player’s competitiveness,” Olagbenro said.

“Generally, as a club, the experience of individual player at every event is our goal. It is about the value-added for every round of golf played and I think this championship scored high on that.”

The club championship is Lakowe Lake’s crowning event for the calendar year.

The sixth edition was supported by Mixta Africa, Mainstream Foundation, Hydropolis, Geregu Powerplant Plc, NNPC/Chevron JV, Interswitch, Sparkle, Gremoore, TotalEnergies, OPAS and DEL.