Nigeria’s former number one golfer, Sunday Olapade, was at his imperial best at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Resort as he beat the field, comprising some of West Africa’s best players, to win the Second Custodian Classic at the weekend.
The Ikoyi Club resident golfer’s victory is his first win on the Professional GolfDevelopmental Tour. He shot 73, 68, 73 (214), two under par, to pocket the N3 million-star prize at the 54 holes affair.
“It was a tough event, given the quality of the players on the field. I think hard work paid off for me, and I want to thank God for this opportunity to win this event,” Olapade said after holing the winning put at Lakowe.
Ghana’s Augustine Manasseh led the foreign players’ charge for the title that ended him at 222 (+6) after the 54-hole play, which could only fetch him a joint fourth-place finish alongside Oturkpo-based George Inalegwu.
Nigeria’s former number one, Kamalu Bako, who topped the event’s leaderboard with a 68, four under par on the opening day, struggled to a second-place finish with four strokes adrift of Olapade’s winning score.
Francis Epe, current PGD Tour leader, placed third with 224, four over par finish, suffering the same fate. Speaking on the championship, Group Managing Director of Custodian Investment, Wole Oshin, said that the event is an avenue to support the abundance of talent in Nigeria’s professional golf.
“This event is our platform to support professional golf. We believe other corporates and individuals can see the potential in them through the light events like this shine on them,” he said.
Oshin also underscored why the purse of this year’s event was raised by a 100 per cent to N20 million from N10 million at the first edition of the Custodian Classic in Ikoyi Club last year.
“The purse was increased to N20 million this year in response to the high number of foreign players request to be part of the event from the entries and data analyzed from the first edition.” PGD Tour’s Commissioner, Femi Olagbenro, said that the Tour is gaining momentum, and they are working to raise the deliverables for all stakeholders.
“We are bringing freshness to the Tour on so many fronts, the tweaks we are working on with the venue and trying to onboard new sponsors while ensuring all parties get the right value for their investment.”
