The profile of America-based Nigeria teenage golf prodigy, Georgia Oboh continues to soar globally as the 15-year-old has been invited for the qualifiers of the 2017 Ladies Professional Golfers Association of America (LPGA), 1st tournament of the Year – the Pure Silk Bahamas Classic.
The 2015 U.S. Kids Golf Teen World champion and a student of golf academy in Manchester, United Kingdom (U.K.) was considered as one of the two amateur golfers for the qualifiers holding in the Paradise Island of Bahamas based on her impressive record in the sport.
In a letter written by the organisers – Global Golf Management, performance and made available to NationSport, Gerogia Oboh’s rising status in the sport prompted her invitation. “On behalf of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, we wish to extend an invitation into the Monday Qualifier to Georgia Oboh. After careful review, we are extremely impressed with her qualifications and we would be delighted to have her participate,” the organisers said.
With her participation in the qualifiers, the junior member of the Lagos-based lkoyi Golf Club will be making history as the youngest, first black girl or woman of African origin to be ever invited to participate or compete either as an amateur or professional in an LPGA tournament of this nature with only two amateur invitees to be given the spots to be part of the qualifiers across the globe.
The qualifiers hold on January 23 with 48 professionals and one amateur, while the main competition takes place on January 26 to 29 at the same venue. Georgia Oboh’s qualification to the main event will help her to inscribe another record at the tournament.
At present, Georgia Oboh is one of the most highly rated female golfers from Africa at 15 and she was the continent’s best player at the Junior Orange Bowl International Invitational in the US and also took part in the 2016 US Women’s Open qualifier in Florida, a professional tournament with 20 professional golfers in the field. In the Women’s Amateur Championship in June 2016, Georgia Oboh had scores of 78 and 72 and was placed 13 out of 105.
Georgia Oboh started golf at six with encouragement from her parents. “My parents began playing golf when I was four years old; I started taking lessons when I was six. A few months later, I began competing at a local and regional level (in rain, wind or cold almost every weekend in the UK). Starting with the British Junior Golf tour at seven, I was given the handicap of 36. But it all really took off when I was named junior golfer of the year in 2008 by the BJGT and also that year I watched the British Ladies Open with my parents and got a ball from the then ladies number-one player Lorena Ochoa. I really got motivated that day to be the best player that I can be in the sport,” she said recently about her foray into golf.
On her dream, she said: “I would like to see myself on the LPGA Tour as an active member and to make history as the first African woman on tour and also the first Nigerian woman. Rising through the ranks, on my way to win majors and eventually hold the rank as the best female pro golfer. I pray that God will help me in this goal and also I hope to have great sponsors who can help. The travel and training expenses can be quite high so we are praying to get a great group of sponsors come to our aid.