Guardian

AFTER recording wins at the end of year, Ikoyi Junior Open and the Ikeja Junior Open both in Lagos to close 2012, Junior golf champion, Georgia Oboh says a lot of efforts in 2013 and beyond would be required for her to get listed on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) System.

This is as she inches towards actualising her dream of playing professional on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), being the number one female golfer in the world and flying the African flag.

One of the first steps she is taking towards earning a place in the WAGR system is participating in the forthcoming Hacienda Ladies Golf Festival in Spain (February 12-20) and the African Junior Championship (April 2-5) taking place at the IBB Golf and Country Club, Abuja. The Abuja tourney, which is at the behest of Kid Golf International, is sanctioned by world’s golf governing body, the Royal and Ancient (R&A) Club, St. Andrews, Scotland.

Oboh, who at age seven, won the British Junior Golf Tour Winter Finals in 2008, in an interview with The Guardian reiterated her determination to “become the first Nigerian to make it to the number one spot on the LPGA. But truth is, I need a lot of motivation and assistance, by way of sponsors from Nigeria to realise this dream because I know I would work hard.

“When I think of the fact that I am not the only African child that is willing to play in the LPGA, I am encouraged to play on. However, in the next 10 years, I want to see myself playing in the LPGA with some of the best golfers in the world. But to get to that stage, I have to get into the World Amateur Ranking, which involves a lot of traveling and playing in some of the best tournaments. From there, I will plan to go to the Qualifying School or take a different route by winning an LPGA tournament, which would give me a complete exemption. After this, I will have balance my card otherwise I will have to still go back to the Q-School,” said Oboh, who won the Player of the Year award for her quick grasp of the game and her attitude on the course in her first year on the British Junior Golf Tour (BJGT).

She lamented that not having a sponsor “affects the tournaments that I have to play in and so I have to stick with the ones that my parents can afford. But even though this happens, there are a lot of people here in Nigeria that motivate me an that is what keeps me going.”

Speaking in the same vein, her mother, Mrs. Evelyn Oboh said: “Georgia is very determined to succeed on her chosen path, but she needs a sponsor that will help her realise her dreams. As parents, there is a limit to where our finances can take her to considering the far-flung parts of the world, where these tournaments are held.

Mrs. Oboh, who said the only thing that stands between her and the event in Spain is sponsorship challenge, urged public-spirited individuals and firms to support her ward in her bid to make Nigeria and Africa proud.