Iyeneobong Essien is another Nigerian athlete that has given Nigerians reasons to smile, despite the harsh economic downtimes we face. The 16 year old Nigerian, came 2nd at the Champion of Champions World Golf Championship Invitational. She competed in the 16-19 age category, July 26-28, 2022. There hasn’t been much discussion about her feat, but for all Nigerians care, this is another successful Nigerian teenager whose bravery is worth celebrating.
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Not everyone finds the game interesting.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not utilize a standardized playing area, and coping with the varied terrains encountered on different courses is a key part of the game. The game at the usual level is played on a course with an arranged progression of 18 holes, though recreational courses can be smaller, often having nine holes. Each hole on the course must contain a teeing ground to start from, and a putting green containing the actual hole or cup 4+1⁄4 inches (11 cm) in diameter. There are other standard forms of terrain in between, such as the fairway, rough (long grass), bunkers (or “sand traps”), and various hazards (water, rocks) but each hole on a course is unique in its specific layout and arrangement.
Nigeria’s golf story started in Jos at the Rayfield Golf Course, which was established in 1913.
The history of this game in Nigeria dates back to the 20th century when the British colonial masters came with the introduction to the country. Chief Anthony Enahoro, who was a minister in the then Western Region government and is believed to be one of the first Nigerians to play golf in the country as recorded by Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour Nigeria.
Today in Nigeria, golf is a versatile sport that is competing with football in all angles due to the fact that it has attained a prominence level. The game has earned popularity through the ability of the international players from the country.
Some professional golfers have emerged from the country; won trophies on different occasions in Amateur Open Golf Championship and made Nigeria proud. “Iyeneobong Essien for us is like Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls,” a sports enthusiast explained after her brilliant pull off at the Championship. She didn’t give in and she kept going. This has worked for her.”
According to the organisers, the ‘Champion of Champions’ is an invite only World Championship event for Junior Golf Champions from all across the World. This Invitational Tournament took place at Ireland’s premier Resort, the 5 Star Lough Erne.
The championship’s quest is to bring together top Junior Golf Champions from all over the globe for a VIP Champions event like no other.
Iyeneobong, a promising youngster competed at the Invitational from July 26–28, 2022, in the 16–19 age group. Iyeneobong played on two difficult courses at the Lough Erne Resort in Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland: the Faldo Course and the Castle Hume Course.
Information has it that Iyene has competed on three continents and currently tops the junior player cadre in Nigeria. She won her first medal at five and has added over 20 more medals to her coffers.
She has represented Nigeria severally at tournaments in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
In 2019, Iyene was the only teenager among the 177 golfers at the Nigeria Ladies Golf Open Championship where she took the 10th place.
She is looking forward to grabbing the first gold medal for golf at the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics which has been postponed to 2026 due to the operational and economical consequences of the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics to July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A number of PGA Tournaments featuring some of the finest golfers in the world have been held on these courses.
The second-ranked player in the world, Rory Mcllroy, participated in the just-completed British Open. He was a young golfer who played on the Faldo course.Impressed by her outstanding performance, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, promised a handsome cash reward as an encouragement to the 16-year-old golf champion.
No doubt, Essien has created an enviable record at the Champion of Champions World Golf Championship Invitational, in Northern Ireland by finishing as the first runner up.
The courses have hosted several PGA Tournaments played by some of the World’s best golfers. One of whom is Rory Mcllroy, World number 2, who played at the recently concluded British Open. He played in the Faldo course as a junior golfer.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the editorial team of TheScript Newspapers
