All Set For Stanbic-Otumfuo Golf

All is set for the 2018 edition of the Stanbic-Otumfuo Invitational Golf Tournament at the Royal Golf Course in Kumasi from Friday, April 20, to Sunday, April 22.

Professional and amateur golfers from all over the country have been invited by the Royal Golf Club, Kumasi on behalf of His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for the 3-day event sponsored by Stanbic Bank.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II will be at the Golf Club on Friday to officially open the tournament which is being held in his honour.

The Asantehene will be playing a ceremonial four-ball round of golf that is expected to include Kennedy Kankam, the MP for the area who is a seasoned golfer, Alhassan Andani, the MD of Stanbic Bank and Kwasi Attah-Antwi, the Chairman of the Club's Management Committee.

Youth and Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah will be there as a Special Guest at the opening ceremony to make a presentation to the club through Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

Head of Marketing and Communications for Stanbic Bank, Mawuko Afadzinu said “As a bank, Stanbic always brings the best to our clients and sports enthusiasts, in this case, golfers and golf followers. Golf provides an excellent atmosphere for players to learn from each other. The event is, therefore, to create networking opportunities for all as we have fun playing the lovely game of golf.”

This year's event which is the ninth edition has been extended to include a Pro-Am team event on Friday to usher in the tournament.

The Pro-Am will see the top-ranked professionals like Vincent Torgah, Emos Koblah, Stephen Klah, Kwame Korsah, Godwin Aryeetey team up with amateurs like Isaac Simpson, Mary Prempeh, Maxwell Owusu-Bonsu, Kwabena Poku, Constance Awuni, Felicity Okyei-Gyeabour, and Delali Agbo-Klu and Hanniel Kakraba-Ampeh.

There will also be a golf clinic on the day for clients and staff of Stanbic Bank.

The main competition starts on Saturday morning and will include all categories of golfers. Over 150 golfers are expected to come from Accra, Ankobrah, Beige Village, Damang, Obuasi, Nsuta, Samreboi, Tarkwa, Takoradi, Celebrity and Tema golf clubs to participate in the invitational tournament.

The amateur competition will be in a Stableford format of play. The professional event will be limited to the top-ranked golfers in Ghana.

The day will be crowned with a cocktail in the evening to welcome all golfers and to provide more opportunities and avenues for networking and socialisation.

The final day of play will be reserved for the 96 amateur and 12 professional golfers to battle for honours. Awards presentation and closing ceremony will take place immediately after the final group of golfers.

Prof Bernard Baiden (Operations) called on other corporate bodies to emulate the laudable example of Stanbic bank and support golf.

The sport is still perceived to be beyond the reach of the ordinary but that notion is gradually going away especially at the Royal Golf Club, Kumasi where Otumfuo has opened up the course to all who are interested in golf.

The club has also come up with a number of training packages and incentives that are all aimed at easing entry into the game.