2019 NGF Tourney: Over 260 junior Golfers Storm Jos for 3rd Edition

By Pwanagba Agabus, Jos

Over 260 junior golfers have stormed Jos, the Plateau State Capital for the 3rd edition of the open championship organised by the Nigerian Golf Federation (NGF).

This was disclosed by the NGF Vice President, Sule Bello, after teeing off, at the opening of the championship on Friday in Jos.

Bello said, the championship was organised in collaboration with the Plateau state government.

He explained that the junior championship aimed at grooming young golfers and promoting the game in the country.

“For this edition of the junior open championship, we have 260 young golfers here to participate.

“By this, we are grooming these young ones so as to keep the game of golf alive and I believe among these young ones we shall someday get our Tiger Wood,” he said.

The Vice president explained that the participants were drawn from various parts of the country.

Bello also noted that the game of golf is not exclusively reserved for the elites or the rich, but called on every member of the society to be a golfer.

He commended Plateau government for collaborating with NGF to host the tournament.

Declaring the tournament open, Governor Simon Lalong, described golf sport as, “All encompassing”, as it keeps golfers mentallly active.

The Governor who was represented by the state Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, Jaafaru Wuyep, said the championship will boost the tourism potentials of the state.

“When you talk of Plateau, you talk of tourism, and we are passionate about promoting our huge tourism potentials and that is what golf sport does stand for.

“So, by hosting this junior open championship, it will further promote the tourism potentials of the state, ” he said.

Lalong assured that the golf sports would be sustained in the state even after his tenure as governor.

Earlier in an address, Lazarus Mshelia, the captain of the Rayfield Golf Club, venue of the tournament thanked the organisers for choosing his club to host the championship.

According to Mshelia, the tournament would tremendously develop and promote develop golf sports in the state.

Participants at the two day tournament are drawn from categories 6-10, 11-14 and 15-18 years; cutting across the 36 States and FCT (Abuja).