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Maiden Meristem Open draws over 80 golfers to Lakowe Lakes course

By Christian Okpara
25 January 2023   |   4:00 am
Over 80 players have registered for the maiden Meristem Open Golf Tournament, a new professional golf development tour sponsored by Meristem Securities.
Meristem Open Golf Tournament

Golf Manager, Lakowe Lakes Golf Club, Femi Olagbenro; Head, Brand and Corporate Communications, Meristem Securities, Adefemi Taiwo; Group Managing Director, Meristem Securities, Wole Abegunde; Deputy Group Managing Director, Meristem Securities, Sulaiman Adedokun; and Media Director, PGD Tour, Sam Emehelu, during the unveiling of the Meristem Open programme…yesterday.

Tournament tees off Nigeria’s professional golf developmental tour

Over 80 players have registered for the maiden Meristem Open Golf Tournament, a new professional golf development tour sponsored by Meristem Securities.

The event will begin at the prestigious Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate, Lagos, tomorrow and end on Saturday.

The Meristem Open has a prize purse of N10 million and would be decided over 56 holes.

Speaking on the Tour, which the sponsors want to use to help golf development, Meristem’s Head, Brand and Corporate Communications, Adefemi Taiwo, said, “Nigeria’s athleticism, industry, and sporting talent have long been evident in the game of golf, and this project is set to help us underscore that.

“We are very confident that the PGD Tour can be a platform upon which the best golfing talents would get wings to fly, and, bring value and honor to all stakeholders.

“Meristem, as a wealth manager, will commit its resources (human, management, financial) to the Tour, while leveraging key relationships to drive this vision. It is for us, a corporate responsibility to help this group of athletes who have a lot of potential locked within them get closer than they have ever been to achieving their full potential.”

Meristem Securities wants other corporates to support the growth of the game through the Professional Golf Development Tour.

“With all said, the inaugural event of The Meristem Open is a statement in leading all our friends and the golfing community to join us in making this happen for the future of the game, the country, and a budding generation that is brimming with talent, audacity and wanting to re-write history,” she added.

Also speaking on the Tour, Golf Manager at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate, Femi Olagbenro, said 83 professional players and category one amateurs have confirmed through online registration to take part in the inaugural event.

“This number is as at the moment and, does not include other classes of amateur players that have been invited to grace the event and experience the new Tour and Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate lifestyle edge. I am confident the Tour is taking off on a strong footing as we have players from Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Zimbabwe already registered for the event,” he said.

Group Managing Director, Meristem Securities, Wole Abegunde, said he is positive about the potential of golfing talents in the country and said players like Peter Akakasiaka, who was the first African to qualify for the finals of the British Open in 1987, Lateef Lasisi, the late Paul Odoh, the late Ali Abdullahi, the late Christian Godfrey and Oche Odoh are all evidences that some measure of corporate support could help Nigeria make some mark on the professional golf stage.

“We are very confident that the PGD Tour can be a platform upon which the best golfing talents would get wings to fly, bring value and honor to all stakeholders,” he said.

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