Epe sets new course record as Acropolis tourney joins golf calendar

Professional golfer, Mike Ubi (left), guiding Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi during the ceremonial tee-shot at the opening of the Acropolis Gardens and Residence Golf Course in Okija, Anambra State…at the weekend.

Big occasions bring out big grand performances from top-quality players and so it was at the inaugural Acropolis Gardens and Residence Golf Course, Okija, Anambra State, where Nigeria’s number player, Francis Epe, shot a brilliant 12 under par, 60 to set the course record at the weekend.

With over 80 top professional and amateur players from across West Africa on the 42-hectare nine-hole facility, Epe needed to be at his brilliant best to top the ladder and that he did in style. And he attributed his performance to the well-laid-out course.

“The course is well laid out and played to my strength. I just told myself that I was going to avoid all the sand traps and water hazards, and I also chipped in twice in the round. In all, I had 12 birdies and six pars. It was a bogey-free round,” he said.

Epe’s record of 12 under par was four shots ahead of Python Golf Club’s Gift Willy, who claimed the runner-up prize in the professional category with eight under par 64, while Benin Golf Club’s Chukwudi Okoro placed third; shooting 67.

36 handicapper, Nkechi Nwaokolo, with a 112 gross score won the lady’s category with her net of 76 beating Rita Izojie with two strokes at 78 net, while Nkechi Musa-Tolani picked the third prize, returning a 79 net score in 18 holes.

Speaking after the competition, promoter of the Acropolis Gardens and Residence Golf Course, Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, said that the goal was to re-introduce Okija, his community, to the world.

“Okija has many interpretations in people’s mind, we want people to rethink what