Playing one shot off the pace going to the finals, Isaac Umoru, a golfer at St. Marks Golf & Country Club, Otukpo, Benue State played one of the best golf of his life coming from behind to win the 62nd edition of the annual FirstBank-sponsored Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship.
To come top in the keenly contested Championship, Umoru closed with 74 for +13 over the Course par for a total of 226-gross score, winning the 54-hole Championship by three shots over hard-fighting Emmanuel Samuel who grossed +16 over three days while perennial contender; Sola Ogunwoye duck in the third position at +17 over the course par.
Olajide Owolabi came fourth closing at +23 over 54 holes.
The new champion opened his game with a 2-over 74, a second-day score of 78, and closing 2-over par 74 to outclass fellow contenders for the prestigious trophy. With the victory, the Benue-born Umoru says a professional golf career is the next on his agenda.
Speaking shortly after being declared winner, Umoru said, “Winning this event has always been my dream. As an amateur, my dream is to turn professional golfer, but like most professionals winning the FirstBank Lagos Open has lifted me, it is therefore time to move up to the professional cadre”, he said.
While thanking FirstBank for their dedication to sponsorship of the tournament, Umoru said the mixture of invited guests, professionals, ladies, and the younger ones on the Course has made the Championship even more enriching.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, who was represented by Patrick Iyamabo, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Bank, reinstated the Banks’ commitment to the continuous sponsorship of the event.
“The FirstBank Lagos Amateur Golf Open Championship holding for the 62nd year is a testament to our commitment to golf and sports in general. We also recently sponsored a polo tournament, which is now 103 years old in Kaduna. These are some of the things we are doing to develop sports in the country”, he said.
The expanded Lagos Open had ladies, professionals, and former winners competing, but the high point of the 2023 FirstBank Lagos Open Championship was FirstBank’s SPARK Initiative’s donation of N4.5m to Bethesda Home for the Blind.
The donation was made possible by sixteen corporate teams that participated in the Singleton meets FirstBank Corporate Golf Challenge for Charity event that kicked off the championship.
The Strategic Partnership from Diageo/Guinness Plc, Seven-Up Bottling Company, Palton Morgan Holdings, Coscharis Motors, Eko Support Services further delivered an exciting, competitive, and rewarding four days of golf at Ikoyi Club 1938 Golf Club.
