Sunday Ehigiator Evelyn Oyome has emerged the Overall Gross Winner of the ‘Queen of the Greens’ Ikoyi Ladies Golf Championship which held recently at Ikoyi Golf Club, Lagos. The two-day event saw Oyome, who is president of the the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria, emerge winner, grossing a total of 168 strokes, outperforming Fatumata Coker and Lynda Obieze, who scored 174 and 175 strokes respectively, to claim the first and second runner-up spots. Pat Ozoemene secured fourth place with 176 strokes, while Carol Majoro, Ronke Iyiola, and Ifeoma Obata trailed behind, grossing 186, 188, and 197 strokes respectively, to claim the fifth, sixth, and seventh positions. Seline Hainsworth took top honours in the Overall Net category with 144 strokes, closely followed by Dammy Oruwari, who secured first runner-up with 145 strokes, and Karin Ekpe, who claimed second runner-up with 150 strokes. Speaking about the competition, the Chairperson of the ‘Queen of the Greens’ Championship Organising Committee, Mrs Deola Banjoko, noted that, “The championship is one of our highlights events for the year, because this is where we compete for that crown, and select persons that will represent us for the later competition. It is the time of the year when we choose the queen, our ladies’ champion for the year. So, this is it. “And this year, it’s fiercely contested. The ladies they’ve gone all out for the crown, and it is very impressive. They trained very intensely, mentally and physically. And our theme for the year is ‘Queens of the Green’. “The theme conveys two messages: it talks about the ladies themselves, their queenly strengths, and how deeply they love golf, which also shows they train and give it all that is required,” she noted. “And secondly, the theme represents our passion for the environment. Our lady captain, Mrs. Peggy Onwu, she’s dedicated this year to sustainability, eco-friendliness, and preservation of our green environment and the ecosystem. This is all to create a little more environmental awareness among ourselves. “So, our lady captain, Mrs. Peggy Onwu, has gone out to ensure that every competition we do represents that. It speaks about environmental sustainability.” Also speaking, the Overall Net Winner, also the Handicap Secretary for the Ikoyi Ladies Golf, Hainsworth, noted that, “I’ve been playing golf for quite a few years, and I am a very competitive player. “The Ikoyi Ladies Championship is an annual two-day competition that attracts guests and members. The tournament is divided into gross and net categories, with the latter using handicaps to determine scores. “Our goal is to attract more players, especially younger ones, through our children’s academy. Golf is a game of integrity, honesty, and self-challenge. It teaches valuable life skills like self-reliance, patience, and empathy. “As for the competition, the ultimate goal is to learn to lower your handicap and potentially become a professional golfer. We hope to produce a pro from Ikoyi Golf Club one day.”