Golfers exhale as Olapade puts Nigeria on European Tour

The Nigerian golf community is currently abuzz with excitement following Sunday Olapade’s presence at the 2025 Magical Kenya Open that teed off yesterday at the Muthiaga Golf Club.
 
The Ikoyi Club star picked one of 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 2022.

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

Although his opening round at Muthiaga saw him posting +6 (a 14-shot margin from the leading pair of J. Parry and B. Hubert), Olapade had his second round to make a fight for a stake in the winning purse and world ranking 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 after the opening round.

He said the quality of professional golf in Nigeria has greatly improved of late, adding that it is evidenced by the recent performances of Nigerian players across the continent.

Olapade, who won both the Cote d’Ivoire Open and Ghana Open and also bagged the biggest professional purse in Nigeria in 2024 in succession, said many Nigerian players can hold their own on the continent if they get the right support.

Oche Odoh, who alongside Gift Willy is the standby players for the event, yesterday, said that Olapade is one example of the immense golfing talent that Nigeria has.

“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,” Odoh said.

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