Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has reiterated that he will continue to promote the game of golf in the state.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 7th Seyi Makinde Women Support Pro-Invitational Amateur Golf tournament played at the Ibadan Golf Club on Sunday, Makinde said he has been investing so much in the area of sports, just as he promised to do more.
He said the tournament would have been the 8th edition this year but due to COVID-19, the tournament could not hold in 2020.
“For the first time in over 20 years, we hosted an international competition here in Ibadan at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan where Nigeria beat Tanzania 2-0.
“I am glad that we have been able to sustain this [golf] competition and there are some significant things which I believe have happened regarding this competition.
“First, I saw that a new generation of golfers is emerging and you can see them, so they are young, agile and they have quite a distance to go, so creating awareness and getting interested to play golf is our priority.
“So our effort in creating interest for golf especially and for sports generally is yielding positive results. And not just the young ones coming to take part in the competition, it is also the fact that some of them could have been spending their time on other things that are not okay, but I want to assure golfers that in Oyo State we will continue to support the development of sports generally and golf in particular.
“The competition has gotten to a point where is now attracting others to come in and be a partner and By God’s grace I will be here next year as your Governor so as to woo more sponsors for the tournament,” Makinde said.
Meanwhile, Captain of IGC, Mr Tunji Oladosu, lauded the governor for his commitment to promoting golf not only in Oyo State but across the South-West.
He also thanked him for keying into the vision of the convener, Mrs Ronke Adepetu of this tournament, Seyi Makinde Women Support Pro-Invitational Amateur Golf tournament.
Oladosu lauded Adepetu for promoting her vision of promoting the crusade for women’s empowerment and at the same time helping the United Nations women in achieving their set targets.
In her remarks, Adepetu thanked the governor for his commitment both to morale and cash in supporting the tournament in the last seven years.
She commended the IGC for the platform and the participants saying next year’s edition will be more glorious.
Meanwhile, a member of the Ekiti Golf Club, Adeyinka G claimed the winner of the tournament with 171 Gross over the two days.
Mary Onyejose, a member of Tiger Golf Club is the runner-up winner with 189 Gross while Sade Ajala won the Best Net with 154.
