From Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Scratch player, Georgina Oboh, has earned a rare invitation to the 3e Actuaries Equatorial Guinea Open Championship that comes up at the end of the year in Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea.
With the wild card, the 16- year-old amateur will share the limelight with selected top female golfers, who ply on the Ladies Professional Golfers Association (LPGA) and Ladies European Tour (LET).
In this league are the defending champion, Paz Echeverria of Chile, Paula Hurtado of Colombia, Leigh Whittaker of Germany, Leticia Ras Anderica of Spain, Maria Jose Uribe of Colombia, Kyle Roig of Puerto Rico and Chayuda Singhsuwan of Thailand.
The lady tournament will attract the sum of $100,000 when it tees off from December 14-17 at the Presidential Golf Course, Mongomo.
Manchester-born Oboh will head to Equatorial Guinea as the youngest contestant on the field, joining the veteran Uloma Mbuko as the only Nigerian ladies at the event.
She confirmed her Equatorial Guinea itinerary to THISDAY after featuring at Ibadan Mesiogo Open, one of the series of international qualifying tournaments climaxing at Mongomo.
“Yes, I will be going to 3E Actuaries Open in Mongomo; it will be a great opportunity and honour to attend the tournament in Equatorial Guinea,†Oboh said.
In 2014, she hugged the spotlight after winning the World Junior Golf Championship in Florida, USA.
Touted as the player to finally be Nigeria’s first player on the LPGA Tour, Oboh cut her teeth at Ikoyi Club 1938 at the golf academy created by Dr Adenike Marinho.
Her father, George, who plays golf as a five handicapper at Ikoyi, is her coach and usually doubles as her Caddy.
Among her contemporaries are Diana Osmond and Anita Uwadia currently at North Carolina University.
Oboh, who once featured in the US Kids European Golf Championships Van Horn Cup, stressed that her ultimate desire is to turn professional.
“My game is at a high standard but I still have a long way to go to become a tour professional player. Otherwise I do have a game of a professional player,†she said.
She told THISDAY that she plans to compete in three tournaments in the US in January 2018, where she will attempt to qualify for some professional events, including the US Ladies Open, British Open and Evian Championship.
She also spoke highly of Uwadia, saying she has the game to be a professional golfer if she is determined and willing to go that far.
