NAN-S-15
Golf
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Dec. 21, 2017 (NAN) Zambia’s Aaron Simfukwe on Thursday shot a 2 over par 74 to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the West Africa Golf Tour (WAGT) Championship in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tour championship teed off on Wednesday at the IBB International Golf and Country Club.
It is expected to climax with the final round on Saturday.
The tour championship, which is the last tournament of the 2017 season, has 40 players from eight different countries — Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Gabon and Germany — participating.
They are competing for a share of the purse money of 50,000 dollars (about N18 million), in which the winner would earn 6,000 dollars and 6,000 points for the order of merit.
Simfukwe had taken a one shot lead after scoring 1 over par 73 at the end of the first round on Wednesday.
Nigerian players Kingsley Oparaku and Gift Willy tied for second position at 2 over par 74.
They were followed by Michel Boula and Desire Ebela from Cameroon and the Senegalese Samba Niang who tied for fourth position at 3 over par 75.
Also, first round result had seen the defending champion, Ghanaian Vincent Torgah, ending in eighth position.
The Zambian continued to play just a little bit better than the three players — Willy, Boula and Ebela — who once again tied for second position at the end of the second round.
NAN also reports that Zimbabwean Elijah Davison played the best round of the day, which was a 1 over par 73.
The top five players in the Order of Merit points are Torgah, Visitor Mapwanya, Issa Nlareb, Pristhy Nji and Oparaku.
The 2017 season had commenced in February with the FCT Classic.
It was followed by the Port Harcourt Classic in April, The Memorare in May, B & E in June, and The Nation@57 in September.
They were followed by The NIGERIA MASTERS in October, with the season concluding with the Tour Championship and crowning also the winner of the 2017 Order of Merit.
Currently, Torgah, winner of three tournaments of the West Africa Golf Tour, leads the Order of Merit.
The tournaments have been staged at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, Port Harcourt Golf Club and Arsenal Golf Club in Owerri.
The West Africa Golf Tour was launched in February 2016 with the aim of developing the game of golf in Africa by organising international golf tournaments.
It has also been introducing golf education programmes at schools.
NAN reports that this is the second season of the West Africa Golf Tour.(NAN)
VO/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)