Golf
TIGER WOODS, OTHERS RAISE US$20 MILLION FOR CHARITY
Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning held off a late challenge to beat Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady 1-up in a charity golf match in Florida on Sunday (May 24) that raised US$20 million (S$28.5 million) for Covid-19 relief efforts.
Woods, a 15-time Major champion, and two-time Super Bowl winner Manning jumped out to a three-hole lead on the front nine at the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound.
While Woods’ booming drives and Manning’s solid putting saw the pair dominate the early holes, five-time Major winner Mickelson and Brady won the 11th and 14th to shave the lead to one.
However, they were unable to force extra holes after Woods delivered a dagger putt on the 18th as darkness descended on his home course.
The shot of the day came from Brady on the seventh when he holed out from the fairway just after National Basketball Association great Charles Barkley, working as a commentator, had been giving the quarterback a hard time for his ice cold start.
“Shut your mouth, Chuck,” Brady said with a smile.
But Brady, who joined Tampa Bay in March after 20 years with New England, had little time to revel in the moment.
After giving a short speech where he told his wife and kids he loved them, the six-time Super Bowl winner then split the seat of his pants while retrieving the ball from the cup.
Woods, who lost to Mickelson in a US$9 million winner-take-all challenge in 2018, congratulated Manning and Brady for their performance in the team matchplay event, dubbed The Match: Champions for Charity.
“We all came together and were able to raise US$20 million for those that have been so severely affected,” Woods said.
“I take my hat off to Tom and Peyton. This is our arena, this is what we do for a living. I couldn’t imagine going on the field and do what they do,” he added with a laugh.
The competition comes 21/2 weeks before the PGA Tour plans to resume its season on June 11 at Colonial.
Woods last competed in February and then withdrew from a number of tournaments with a back injury before the PGA Tour decided to cancel a slew of events because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
He has said he is healthy and will be ready to go when the Tour resumes.
Mickelson finished third in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February and missed the cut in his next two starts.
Manning, who played for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, retired in 2016 as the National Football League’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns and yards and is the only five-time winner of the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
–Reuters
The inaugural edition of the Nigeria Maritime Golf Challenge will tee off on Thursday at the prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938 Golf Course, bringing together 81 golfers from across the country in celebration of World Maritime Day.
Organised by QUBES LLC, the one-day tournament is designed to commemorate the annual global observance on September 25 under the theme “Our Ocean, Our Obligation, Our Opportunity.”
Chief Executive Officer of QUBES LLC, Lanre Bayewu, told journalists ahead of the event that the competition aims to showcase Nigeria’s maritime industry through sport while fostering greater networking opportunities within the sector.
“The tournament structure accommodates golfers of various skill levels and ensures broad participation from both maritime industry professionals and the wider golfing community,” Bayewu said.
The championship will feature seven competitive categories, including Longest Drive, Nearest Pin (male and female), Female Winners, Veterans, General Category Winner Net, Maritime Category Winner, and Overall Best Gross. Winners will go home with trophies and cash prizes.
Top executives and senior management of Nigeria’s leading maritime agencies, including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, are expected to attend as special guests.
According to Bayewu, the event represents a strategic initiative to project the Nigerian maritime industry onto both global and sporting stages, while also strengthening professional relationships across the community.
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Tiger Woods announced Friday that he underwent surgery to repair a nerve impingement in his lower back.
Woods, 48, has not played competitive golf since missing the cut at the Open Championship in July.
“The surgery went smoothly, and I’m hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season,” the 15-time major champion wrote in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.”
Per Woods, Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Fla. performed the surgery.
Woods made his first start of the season in February at the Genesis Invitational, his foundation’s tournament, but had to withdraw early in his second round due to illness.
Woods made the cut at the Masters — for a record-breaking 24th straight start — but finished last among the 60 golfers who played the weekend. Then came missed cuts at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open, where he never shot a round of par or better.
-Reuters
Golf and Country Club, Africa’s most prestigious golf destination is taking the golf in Nigeria to a higher level by rolling out the IBB Golf Classic, a new premium tournament.
In a show of commitment to promoting the sport of golf and fostering community engagement, the Executive Committee of the IBB Golf Club paid a special visit to General Ibrahim Babangida, former Nigerian President and Life Patron of the Club.
General Ibrahim Babangida applauded the superb management of IBB Golf Club, the relentless pursuit of golfing excellence and its demonstrable commitment to boosting Nigeria’s profile through golf.
During the visit, the Exco members pledged to host the prestigious Ibb Golf Tournament Classic, marking a significant step in the club’s efforts to elevate the profile of golf in the region.
The visit was led by the President of the Golf Club, Ibrahim Babayo, Vice Captain Dr. James Agbonhese, and the female Captain Dame Julie Donli.
The Exco members expressed their dedication to organizing the IBB Golf Classic, a world-class golf tournament that would foster community comradeship and attract participants and spectators from far and wide.
The Club Captain Ibrahim Babayo emphasized the club’s determination to showcase the talent and passion for golf within the region. He commended General Ibrahim Babangida for his visionary leadership, strategic thinking and nationalistic foresight in establishing the IBB Golf Club in 1987.
IBB International Golf and Country Club course is an 18-hole course covering about 101 Hectares (1,000,740m2) of land, located at the choice Aso drive area of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria.
Within the course is a driving range, putting green and practice bunkers with a handful of professional golfers and trainers at the service of the members.
The EXCO pledged to uphold the high standards of the Club and stated that: “At IBB International Golf and Country Club, we take pride in providing the luxury and ambiance deserving of our distinguished members. We are also determined to take the game of golf to the grassroots so the game is accessible to more Nigerians.”
General Ibrahim Babangida commended the IBB Golf Club for its proactive approach to promoting golf and expressed his support for the upcoming tournament. He emphasized the positive impact of such events on the local community, stating, “The IBB Golf Tournament Classic will not only elevate the status of the sport in our region but also contribute to the overall growth and development of our community.”
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