Ogundare, Obieze Win India Independence Day Cup

Jimoh Ogundare and Linda Obieze emerged champions in the men’s and women’s categories respectively at the third edition of the India Independence Day Golf Tournament held at Ikeja Golf Club, Lagos.

Ogundare claimed the men’s title, with Wale Kalejaiye finishing as runner-up and Henry Gboneme taking the second runner-up position.

In the women’s category, Obieze emerged victorious, while Abiodun Hassan finished in second place.

The tournament was organised to commemorate India’s 80th Independence Day anniversary and attracted golfers from several golf communities, including Ikeja, Ikoyi and Lakowe. Members of Ikeja Golf Club made up the majority of the participants.

About 140 golfers took part in this year’s competition, representing an increase in participation compared with previous editions.

Vice-Captain of Ikeja Golf Club, Ejiro Ogomigo, described the tournament as a major success and commended the Indian community for creating an enjoyable and competitive experience for the participants.

“This is the third edition of the Indian Independence Cup. Every year there is improvement, and of course, this year there has been major improvement,” Ogomigo said.

He noted that the tournament had become one of the competitions many club members looked forward to, describing it as keenly contested and challenging.

According to Ogomigo, the course proved particularly difficult during this year’s edition, with the highest score standing at 38 points compared with about 40 points recorded in the previous year.

He also revealed that the popularity of the tournament had resulted in an oversubscription, with the club’s management struggling to accommodate all interested golfers.

“This year’s edition was oversubscribed and we struggled to find spaces for members,” he said, expressing confidence that participation would continue to grow because of the quality of competition.

Ogomigo, who represented the club captain at the closing ceremony, also praised the organisers and sponsors for their contributions to the tournament’s success.

He thanked the Indian community and sponsors for providing the resources and support needed to make the third edition a successful event.

The growing participation and competitive nature of the tournament further underline its emergence as a notable fixture on the Lagos golfing calendar.