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Tag: Sunday Olapade

  • Golf: Olapade, Okoko reign supreme at Lakowe Classic

    Golf: Olapade, Okoko reign supreme at Lakowe Classic

    Nigeria ‘s ace golfer Sunday Olapade on Sunday, September 28,  won the professional round of the 2025 Lakowe Lakes Golf Classic with an impressive  ten-under par score in 54 holes to win the event.

    Golf Manager of Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Estate, Femi Olagbenro, said Olapade had a brilliant spell at the event and came close to breaking the course’s 54-hole record held by Vincent Torgah.

    “I believe every player showing up at Lakowe Lakes Golf Club puts in an extra effort to match the pedigree of the course and the tough field that is always on parade during at each Lakowe Lakes Golf Classic event.”

    The 2025 event paraded some of the best professional players across  West Africa, including Emos Korblah and Barry Yaw from Ghana, Oche Odoh, Kamalu Bako, Gift Willy, Godwin Okoko, Michael Ubi, and Francis Epe. This year’s event is supported by Oando Nigeria, GAC Motors, Providus Bank, ARM Holding Company, Mixtafrica, Newmark, International Breweries, were among others.

    Olapade rounds were 69, 65, and 72 for the three days to beat Korblah with a five-stroke margin and pocket the 5 million naira purse and an additional ARM champion bonus of 2.5 million totalling 7.5 million for his victory.

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    “This is a very satisfying win, given the effort I have put into my game in the past few months. I have just come back from a training round in Kenya. It’s been a very challenging routine, which is why this is satisfying. I want to thank everyone who has supported me this while, and believe in me.”

    Youngster Godwin Okoko, also made the winner’s list with a third-place finish in the professional round while also leading his amateur team members to be crowned the Team Event winners. The members included Ikechukwu Boniface, David Maji, and Frances Omaruaye.

    In the Team Event, Kingsley Oparaku led Roland Alexander, Terry Paul and Abe Ayodeji to the runner-up position.

    Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chairman of Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate Deji Alli said that the game of golf has impacted on his person, and outlook of business for Lakowe Lakes project, despite the challenges of running a world-class facility like Lakowe Lakes Golf Club.

  • ‘Enterprising’ Olapade flies Nigeria’s flag on European Golf Tour

    ‘Enterprising’ Olapade flies Nigeria’s flag on European Golf Tour

    Ikoyi Club’s Sunday Olapade is presently solo as the only  Nigerian professional golfer in the 2025 Magical Kenya Open that tees off at the Muthiaga Golf Club yesterday.

    He picked one the three last tickets to the $2.5m European Tour event marking Nigeria’s return to top-flight golf event since Oche Odoh last led Nigeria’s campaign in 2015.

    Olapade, finished behind Deus Willy and Paul Chidale for the last three tickets at the Safari Tour Regional Qualifiers on Monday.

    Although his opening round at Muthiaga saw him posting +6 (a fourteen shots margin from the leading pair of J. Parry and  B. Hubert, Olapade has his second round to make a fight for a stake in the winning purse and world ranking’s points.

     “I will give it a fight. I will give it my best, but my joy is that i am able to speak for my colleagues back at home with this performance here,” he said

    He said the quality of professional golf in Nigeria has greatly improved if late and that has is evidence by the recent performances of Nigerian players across the continent.

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    Olapade who won both the Ivory Coast Open, Ghana Open and also bagged the biggest professional purse in Nigeria in 2024 in succession, said a lot of players of Nigerian descent can hold their on the continent if they get the right support.

    Oche Odoh whom alongside Gift Willy are the standby players for the event yesterday said Olapade’s is an example of immense golfing talent that Nigeria boasts of.

     “Olapade has been blazing since late last year especially with the series of wins he had but I think the DP World Tour, Magical Kenya Open he is playing this week is the biggest feat of his career. I am very proud of him and I think he has more miles to walk on his professional journey and as colleagues, we are here to cheer him.”

    The Magical Kenya Open is one of the few European Tour event hosted on ten continent and a good performance for Olapade could earn him placement in more European Tour schedules.

  • ‘Three Star’ Olapade claims  CIO golf title in Port Harcourt

    ‘Three Star’ Olapade claims  CIO golf title in Port Harcourt

    Nigeria’s Sunday Olapade  on Sunday won the 5th  CIO Golf Championship at the Python Golf Club in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with a brilliant score of 271, seventeen under par.

    Olapade shot 65, 71, 69, and 66 on each of the CIO event’s days to top the leader board, which included eight other African countries that featured at the N45 million-naira purse event.

     “I am very happy and just want to thank all who made this happen, especially the organizers and the leadership of the CIO,” he said.

    The win at Python Golf Club sealed a 100 percent entry record for him in three tournaments. He had won the Ivory Coast Open and Ghana’s PGA Championship in succession, making him the first player to achieve a treble across West Africa in a stretch.

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    Ikenna Okafor, the CEO of Keves Global Leasing, which bankrolled the CIO Championship, said he was not surprised at Olapade’s feat, which only underscores how hard work and focus are essential tools for success.

     “Olapade won the 2022 edition of the CIO Championship and watching him this year reveals the work he has invested into his game. I have some players I keep tabs on, and Olapade’s dedication sets him apart. I think he is a good example and he has thrown a challenge to the bulk of young talented field behind.”

    Ikenna said the joy for him and any golf enthusiast is the quality of scores that made the leader board.

     “The players are returning great scores,” he added.

    Olapade’s winning score was five shots better than Wemba Sydney, the Zambian professional who returned a 66, six under par in the closing round to pick the runner-up spot.

    The trio of Monday Eze (Nigeria), Mapwanya Visitor (Zimbabwe), and Michael Bulabula tied for third place returning an aggregate 280, eight under par for the event.

    The championship featured 140 professional golfers and included 240 amateur players from different parts of Nigeria and Africa.

    Director of the Professional Golfers’ Association of Nigeria, Tony Philmoore said that the CIO event is the biggest golf event on the Nigerian Tour in a long while and it attests to the growth that is being experienced in the game in Nigeria.

     “This is the growth we have worked and laboured for and we are happy that the right partnerships are birthing landmark events like this. We are very grateful to all that made this happen,” he said.