By Daniel Dauda,Jos


About 460 professional and amateur golfers storm Plateau State to compete for Governor Simon Lalong golf tournament in Jos.

Our correspondent learned that the 2022 maiden edition golf tournament which is the last for Governor Lalong before his administration exit office in 2023 drawn participants both from within and beyond the shows of Nigeria.

Addressing newsmen Wednesday at the Lamingo Golf club, captain of the club Rev.Father Blaise Agwom said Lalong has been the one sponsoring and organizing the tournament since inception of office in 2015.

"This is one of the tournament when golfers come from all round the country and even outside to participate in this competition. The main aim of this tournament is to bring golfers all around the country so that we will exercise our body, connect with other golfers from region and states and to also compete for prizes, especially for the professionals.

"This is one of the moment we invited golfers to come to Jos. We started by Monday 5th and will be ending  sunday11th December, 2022. So as we speak the professionals and the category one are in the field because they started since on Monday.

"The Governor has been so magnanimous and provided N15million for the professional category and there is also a car attached to it.The overall winner will also have a car that is for the professionals.


"And for the amateur they also have a car apart from the prizes. So the car will be for whole in one. The clubs are many as we have over 50 clubs from around the country.

"We have about 460 participants distribution across professionals, and under professional category they are competing for monetary prizes for the category 1,2,3 and 4. We also have from handicap 1 to 40. Amateur are not allowed to compete for money, instead there are assorted prizes allocated for them this year. Such prizes includes; color TV, generators, deep freezers, freezers, home theatre and other prizes.

"So for each category four prizes for the first, runner up, second runner and third runner up. So in terms of spread we have
Participants all over the country and some from Ghana and the United States (US) who have come to join.

"This tournament is unique because Lalong is a friendly golf Governor, he has been doing this for the past seven years and now the last one before he exit office that is why we tagged it " a unique". And as you can see the environment has changed, the club is not look the same like before, the crop of players and the atmosphere tells it all that it is unique!

"The Governor has been very supportive to the club but this is the height. The super sport are covering the tournament live."

The club captain said they are determine to continued sustaining the Lalong's legacy by hosting the tournament every year as the club has its internal mechanism for survival.

"We are going to roll out a golfing timetable for every year. And one them is for the Cadiz, so young ones are doing very well, we will be encouraging them not only in the area of golf sometimes even by offering scholarship so that as they learn to play they also go to school and to also involve many government competition both within and outside Plateau State.