The Nearly Men from Malaysia

For sometime to come the performance of Oche Andrew Odoh and GboyegaOyebanji at the 2008 Fortis International Challenge in Kota Permaiwould a be a reference point for the players and maybe for golf andthe anticipated new face of professional golf in the country.Odoh had after the second round of play on the Malaysian Golf coursetold journalists that their bright show if sustained could snowballinto what would generate some momentum for the development of the gameback home.

"It will go a long way if we make it through. It will create so muchawareness and people will say I want to be like these guys. It's agood feeling to raise the flag for the country and I'm happy to be apart of this. But we still have two days to go." Oche quipped whenasked what the reaction would be back home if they pick the firstAfrican ticket form the Fortis Challenge history.

The team fell short of it courtesy tough luck on the final day of playand there is chapter they have not bargain for that is about confrontthem. Not only them, their professional career and by implication thereputation of the Nigerian professional gold community.An eight place in the opening round of "better ball" (fourballs)didn't say much about the Nigerian lads which arrived Malaysia two days apart when documentation denied Oyebanji an early arrival for hisfirst time in Asia."I didn't enjoy it. But I found out that all that the team wentthrough from the Airport in Lagos to my failing health on the firsttwo rounds were issues that challenged my belief in my ability to

succeed as a professional golfer."The simple option for me was to pull out; first, a fault was detectedin my passport and had to be dropped from the team at the Airport. Igot that rectified and had to travel over 20 hours. Upon arrivingMalaysia I was stopped by the immigration for four hours for nothaving a yellow card- which I hade misplaced while in transit.

Iteventually got faxed to me from Nigeria before I was released barelyfour hours to the event's opening Pro-Am"When play resumed for the second round which was to be a foursomesplay (or alternate shot), the team was just starting to get into thegame and a consolidating 69 (moved them to the third place on thechart at six under par). Then, they began hugging the spotlight.

Another 66 on the third day finally sealed the suspicion that thedebuting African team could be the show stealer at the Fortis event.Especially when teams like the Malaysia, Italy, Singapore and HongKong had gone flip-flop by the third round and were not sure ofqualifying."I had no fears that we would miss out as at then" Oche said. "We werehitting it solid and our approach was brilliant. We both were swingingwell for the week and 'Teko' recovery was another boost" he added.

But it was not to be.The team struggled all through the finals round, hitting sixteen greenin regulation (except for first and sixteenth), and failing to holeany."By the tenth hole we had missed eight birdie putts and one eagle (atseven). Our putters were cold"Then they met their waterloo at the 65th (final round eleventh) whereOche went from saving a par to carding a boggey. By then the Italian(represented by Francesco and Edoardo Mollinari ) had holed fivebirdies and upturned the Nigerian from the third spot on theleader-board.

"It was painful. We were just unlucky. But we were very happy that weput up such performance"Finishing fourth for the team courted for them fans both from home whofollowed the event in the media and on ground in Malaysia. But muchmore than anything the players near perfect finish has earned them aplace to the final stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School nextJanuary to be hosted perhaps in Thailand.Odoh and Oyebanji has returned to Nigeria and says they would face theQ-School exemption they got with the same seriousness gave the WorldCup chance they just executed.

For Odoh who is ranked 110 on the Sunshine Tour this season courtesyof the four events tat he has showed up for (including a fourth placefinish at the Chainama Hills Zmabian Open) He has plans to return tothe Sunshine Tour to feature in some summer tour schedules."Actually my plans are for the co-sanctioned events (with EuropeanTour), I just need some good finish on the few I would be playing soI can better my ranking and earn better starts in south Africa nextseason> I intend ending the season somewhere above the 50th. It wouldgive me a seamless start next year.

"Along the line Odoh is also hoping those events including three bigticket events on the Nigerian PGA calendar would all hone him for theAsian Tour Q-School.According to Oyebanji "The Asian Tour has been our dream and theexemption we got to the finals is a lifetime ticket we would not jokewith it."