Becky Danladi of TYB International Golf Resort and Country Club, Abuja, emerged as the overall winner of Africa’s inaugural Indoor Golf Championship, held in Abuja on Saturday.
This historic event marked a significant milestone in the continent’s golfing history, as it was the first of its kind in Africa. The championship, organized by Olusegun Runsewe, President of the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF), attracted over 150 female golfers from across the country, all competing at the prestigious Golf and Health Signature in Abuja.
Danladi secured the championship’s top prize with an impressive total gross score of 43. She played off a handicap of 24 and achieved gross scores of 14 and 29 in the indoor and outdoor events, respectively, posting the lowest overall gross score of the competition.
Her closest rival, Tessy Johnson, also from TYB IGRCC, followed closely with a total gross score of 44, having returned 16 and 28 gross scores in the indoor and outdoor segments.
Staff Sergeant Maureen Apute, the Lady Captain of TYB IGRCC, finished in third place after a nail-biting count-back against Nanwor Mamven of IBB International Golf and Country Club.
Both players returned gross scores of 15 and 32 in the indoor and outdoor events, respectively, culminating in a total score of 47. Susan Marcus, another TYB IGRCC golfer, rounded out the top five, with a total gross score of 48, achieving 18 (indoor) and 30 (outdoor).
In the auxiliary prize categories, Maryam Atta-Bala of IBB IGCC won the “Nearest to the Pin” award with a remarkable distance of just 3 feet. Susan Marcus of TYB IGRCC claimed the runner-up position in the same category, with a distance of 4 feet. Juliet Umolu of IBB IGCC took home the “Longest Drive” award with an impressive distance of 278 meters. Grace Ihonvbere of IBB IGCC was recognized for the best indoor score, returning a gross score of 13. Additionally, Dame Julie Donli, the Lady Captain of IBB International Golf and Country Club, was honored as the “Best Dressed Lady Golfer” of the championship.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), NGF President Olusegun Runsewe expressed his immense pride and joy at Nigeria’s achievement in hosting Africa’s first-ever indoor golf championship. He highlighted the significance of this event, noting that it underscores Nigeria’s leadership role on the continent. “As the giant of Africa, we must lead the way,” Runsewe stated. “We cannot sit back and wait for other African countries to show us the path.”
Runsewe emphasized that the success of this championship marks the beginning of a new era for golf in Nigeria. He noted that this event aligns with the strategies employed by advanced countries to grow the game, starting with the fundamentals and gradually building up. “This is the way other advanced countries grew the game in their part of the world,” he said. “They started well and early, and that’s exactly what we are trying to achieve here at the Golf and Health Signature.”
The NGF President also pointed out that the Golf and Health Signature course will serve as a hub for nurturing young golfing talents in the years to come. He stressed the importance of starting young players with short games to build their skills progressively, rather than immediately introducing them to the challenges of an 18-hole course. “You can’t take a child of 10 to 12 years directly onto an 18-hole golf course,” Runsewe explained. “They need to start from somewhere, and understanding short games is the first and sure way to grow and develop their skills.”
Under Runsewe’s leadership, the NGF has been committed to showcasing the best of Nigerian golf. He proudly noted that over 90 percent of the female golfers in the championship were playing indoor golf and short games for the first time. “This is just the beginning,” he said, “but we have embraced it before other African countries, making this a historic and monumental achievement.”
