Olawale Ajimotokan
The first event on the African Tour- Eko Challenge Cup- will tee off today at Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate, Lagos with a field of 40 players.
Eighteen players led by Emos Korblah secured their tour cards at the qualifying tournament held yesterday in Lagos.
They will now join the six players that made the cut in Abuja at the first qualifying school in December 2018.
Korblah shot 4 under par 68, while C. Ambe was two off the pace for second place.
The players will be scheming to eclipse Mohammed Safuyanu Muazu, who held off Vincent Torgah to win the tournament.
The President of the African Tour, Emeka Okatta, said the Tour will feature players from Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Spain and Germany.
He said the first season of the African Tour will build on the achievements of the West African Golf Tour and offer the players more opportunities, incorporating new tournaments and new venues to the 2019 schedule.
A total of 16 tournaments will be staged in eight golf courses across Nigeria with the total prize purse of $475,000 to be shared.
“We are committed to grow the game of golf in Africa and offer professional players a platform to showcase their talent, ” said Okatta.
In addition, the African Tour also intends to give women opportunity to play in all tournaments with men and compete for the same purse.
“This shall not be the only innovation by the African Tour, new formats are incorporated to the 2019 schedule such as the Shoot-out golf tournament and the African Cup Championship. There will also be new host venues in addition to the existing ones, including Sagamu and Abeokuta Golf Clubs “.
