Tanzania's Neema Olomi won the Nigeria Ladies Open golf title in Abuja, and her compatriots took three of the top four places. The result, set beside Nigeria's fourth-place finish in the team event at the Africa Amateur Challenge Trophy (AACT), raises the question of what the home players need to compete on their own courses.
Olomi completed the tournament at the IBB International Golf and Country Club with a total of 229, which is 13 over par, Premium Times reports. Ghana's Afi Amezedo came second, five shots behind on 234, or 18 over par. Premium Times gives the runner-up's name as "Afi Amez edo".
How the Nigeria Ladies Open golf title was won
The Nigeria Ladies Open golf championship was organised by the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria (LGAN) and played as 54 holes of individual stroke play, Headtopics reported. Olomi returned rounds of 74, 75 and 80. Her last round was her worst of the week, yet it was still enough to win.
On day one of the Nigeria ladies open golf event, she posted a 74, two over par, to go two strokes clear of her fellow Tanzanian Madina Hussein, who carded 76, according to Blueprint, which drew on the News Agency of Nigeria.
By the start of the final day of the Nigeria ladies open golf tournament, Olomi led on 149. Tanzania Insight said she was seven strokes clear of Amezedo on 156, with Hawa Wanyeche and Hussein tied for third on 159. The closing 80 cut that lead to five, but nobody got close enough to threaten her.
Hussein finished third on 238, which left her 22 over the standard, and Wanyeche was fourth on 241, 25 over the standard, according to Daily Trust. Tanzanians therefore held three of the top four positions.
The Nigerians in the field
Premium Times said the tournament attracted over 100 women golfers from several countries, among them a number of Nigerians.
The best-placed Nigerians named in the report were:
- Omowonuola Olarewaju, 271
- Josephine Benjamin, 274
- Susan Marcus, 276
- Dorcas Daniel, 279
The winner's 229 left all four of the golfers mentioned far behind. Mungure (first name Loveness) and Aalaa Somji each ended on 254, while Wendy Gyan and Tracey Humbira both finished on 256.
The gap is large, and it tells its own story about where home-based players stand against the continent's strongest amateurs.
Olomi's reaction
Olomi described the victory as fulfilling, saying the tournament tested her steadiness, patience and focus under pressure. She also drew attention to how strong the field was.
"It was not an easy competition, but I remained focused, trusted my game and stayed committed throughout the three rounds."
Her thanks went to the organisers, both for staging a tournament that offered stiff competition and for looking after the players so warmly. Winning, she added, would spur her on to put in more effort and aim higher.
The AACT picture for Nigeria
The Open sits alongside the AACT, which Nigeria hosted. Before the events, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that LGAN said the country had won hosting rights for the biennial championship. It was expected to draw more than 30 African countries and over 1,000 golfers, officials, diplomats and supporters.
On the course, South Africa won the team title with 464, six strokes ahead of Kenya on 470, according to Daily Trust. Tanzania placed third on 479, and the hosts finished fourth on 500.
The same report said 13-year-old Kenyan Kanana Muthomi won the individual title. South Africa's victory was a record 15th team title for the country.
Tanzania's bronze improved on its fifth place in 2024, and Daily News in Tanzania reported that the Tanzania Ladies Golf Union is now aiming for the title at the 2028 edition in South Africa. A Nigerian side that was fourth on home soil will have to make up ground on teams that are already planning that far ahead.
What LGAN says it wants next
Lami Ahmed, who is president of LGAN, called the tournament a key vehicle for advancing women's golf and deepening sporting ties with other countries. In her view, the number of participants showed that interest in the women's game is rising and that Nigeria is able to stage international events.
Her stated hope for the future is simple.
That ambition is welcome, but the scores show the challenge. Hosting well and attracting strong foreign entries is one achievement. Producing home players who can beat them is another, and the leaderboard shows the second has not yet followed the first.
Ahmed further talked about opening doors for women and girls to start playing golf and to progress to more demanding levels of competition. The real test of that promise will be whether Nigerian players post lower scores at the next Open and perform better at the next AACT.
