Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 03:13 pm
Irene Nakalembe of Uganda has won the 45th edition of the Ikoyi Ladies Golf Open for the second consecutive time.
The 34-year-old golfer, in an interview at the Ikoyi Club 1938 gold section, attributed her success to constant practice and regular competition.
“Winning sure feels good whether its the first time or second time, I’m glad I won.The competition was not a walk in the park.
“Nigerians are highly competitive, so winning for the second time doesn’t mean that I had it easy. I just came to play a good game, winning came as a bonus,” she said.
When asked on her views on how best to develop the Ladies section, she said that organising regular coaching clinics would go a long way.
“Getting talents in their young formative stage is very important, take for instance in Uganda we have regular clinic, players are encouraged to practice.
“It takes making conscious efforts to achieve this, I believe there are lots of talents here, all they need to do is to harness their potential,” she said.
Lola Ajibola, the Lady Captain of the Club’s golf section, said absence of sponsors have been one of the challenges the ladies section have had to deal with.
“I believe that having potential world beater is not good enough, but the only way to achieve that is to sharpen their competitive skills.
“This is only possible if we can organise regular competitions, this won’t be possible without sponsorship from corporate organisations.
“Our performance at this year’s edition is a proof that we need to make conscious efforts if we intend to develop golf as we should.
“Take for instance, the winner Irene is from Uganda. She’s winning for the second time. The Uganda government sponsors her,” she said.
