Golf: Willy wins N4.4m at 4th CIO classic
BY Afolabi Gambari
Gift Willy on Saturday upstaged Francis Epe, Nigeria’s number one golfer and three-day leader of the 4th CIO classic, to lift the prestigious title at the Python Golf Club, Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
The win fetched Willy N4.4 million of the N22 million total purse available for the 35 players that made the final cut.
Despite the immense pressure, Willy posted a commanding performance with a heavy downpour halting the third round and piling up for a 27-hole nerve-racking closing day.
The winner shot 68 to shut out all contenders at eleven-under par, 277 (72, 68, 69, 68) after 72 holes.
“If you compete with a player like Francis Epe, you will almost be distracted by the talent at play. I came prepared and had my game plan for every round and my goal was to play bogey-free and pick all the birdie opportunities that presented itself,” Willy said at the presentation ceremony.
Epe settled for the runner-up position after closing out with 279 (66, 69, 73, 71), while Abubakar Mustapha placed third with 282 (72, 73, 69, 68).
Ikenna Okafor, the CEO of the sponsor Keves Global Leasing Limited, applauded the players’ brilliance and top-level competition at the fourth edition.
“We have seven countries at this edition, and they all represent the best from each of these sides. We look forward to making this competition a platform for African players to showcase their talent at the professional level,” Okafor said, adding that the winner had demonstrated consistency and dedication in his resolve to aid CIO classic’s enviable height.
The competition teed off on November 5 with a kids’ event involving the junior members of the Python Golf Club. Caddies had their round on November 6 while the professionals took their turn from Wednesday to Saturday competing over a 72-hole course.
Amateur players as well as gentlemen, ladies and veterans rounded off the week-long event on Sunday.
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