Golf: Hinton Leads International Pros to Ibadan Mesiogo Open

Englishman Craig Hinton will lead a bunch of 34 seasoned foreign professional golfers to the maiden Ibadan Mesiogo Open Golf Championship scheduled to tee off next week.

The tournament, billed for Ibadan Golf Club, from October 4 through 8 is one of the international qualifying tournaments preceding the 3e Actuaries Equatorial Guinea Open Championship in Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea between December 13 and 16.

Seventy Nigerian professional players will contest for honour at the 72-hole competition.
Hinton won the Equatorial Guinea Open Championship last year.

THISDAY checks revealed that the Englishman opted to play the Ibadan Mesiogo Open for a feel as well as aim for a share of the N10 million prize money at stake.
Peter Gustafson will lead two other Swedish golfers to the event, while Ebele Mvondo, Issa Nlareb and three other golfers will fly the flag of Cameroon.

Ghana will parade six players, led by Emos Korblah, David Doe and Vincent Torgah, while Sierra Leone, Togo, Liberia and Cote D’ Ivoire will feature three players apiece.
Two players will vie from Gabon, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea while The Gambia and Senegal will produce one player each.

Two female professional golfers: Uloma Mbuko (Nigeria) and Anna Magnusson (Sweden) will complete the international roster.
The Nigerian contingent is to be led by J. S. Odegha who won the Kwara State Open early this year. Other notable aspirants include Mike Ubi, Daniel Pam, Sunday Olapade, Andrew Dominic and Lateef Lasisi.

The organising committee will also hold the IMEGA Awards to honour eminent Nigerians and leading sportsmen. The awards hold at the University of Ibadan International Conference Centre on October 7.