Steve Oma-Ofozor
Lagos
The duo of Helen Alechenu and Blessing Abdul can be aptly said to be some of the happiest persons at the conclusion of the 2021/2022 Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of Nigeria Qualifying School examination.
This follows their scintillating performance at the just concluded Qualifying School examination held specifically for women from Mary 22-27 at the Henry Seriaki Dickson Golf and Country Club (HSDGCC) Yenagoa Bayelsa State capital which guaranteed their qualification to becoming professional golfers.
Both golfers, Alechenu and Abdul are 2016 academy graduates of St David Mark Golf Academy at Otukpo, Benue State where they shone like ‘million stars’ in their junior days haven won laurels at different junior tournaments as the yearly Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF) Junior Open and other Club tournaments as Ladies Open.
The duo also have represented Nigeria at various international ladies Open Championships as the All African Challenge Trophy (AACT which have held in Lagos, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco and Kenyan respectively; Alechenu participated in all, while Abdul participated in Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco, all between 2016 and 2020.
Recalled that it was their performance at the junior levels which tickled this correspondent to ask them the question of how far they would want to go in golfing and the answer was in the affirmative: “We want to become golff professionals.”
Thus, in an interview with SOKOnnect on their qualification as professionals at the Qualifying School final day, in ecstacy they unanimously chorused, “our dream has come true.”
“I can remember then, that you were asking if we would like to become professional golfers – you wrote a story about me and Blessing; today we have turned professionals – it’s dream come true,” Alechenu said, just as soft spoken Abdul corroborated her, “Yes , you did asked us and it’s dream come true.”
It would be recalled Abdul was overall third best with 67.5 percent score and Alechenu seventh, 57 percent out of 17 students that participated where only 10 qualified.
In the same vein, the enthused their joy will not be completed without commending executive committee, PGA of Nigeria for its good: “we’re very grateful that PGA Nigeria has realised the need to include women in the scheme of things; PGA Nigeria, big up, one love!”
However, it is one good thing to become a professional, what one is able to achieve as a professional is a different ball game entirely; this onerous task ahead, Alechenu and Abdul concluded, “We will come out with our programme soon.”
