Nigeria’s Francis Epe will have little time to celebrate his latest domestic golf victory as he prepares to test his winning form against an international field at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Classic.
Epe claimed the Nigeria Closed title on Wednesday after finishing the 54-hole competition at two under par 214.
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Rounds of 73, 69 and 72 were enough to give him a commanding five-shot victory over former Nigerian number one Oche Odoh, who finished second on 219.
Kamalu Bako placed third on 221.
The victory gives Epe valuable momentum, but his next challenge will be considerably bigger.
The international phase of the Lakowe Lakes Classic begins on October 2, bringing together golfers from across Africa and beyond for three days of competition in Lagos.
A field of 139 players from 10 countries is expected, including 115 professionals and 24 amateurs.
Nigeria will provide the largest contingent with 105 players, but Epe and his compatriots will face challengers from countries including Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire.
Among the international names expected are Rwanda’s Celestine Nsazuwera, Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo and Zambia’s Sydney Wemba.
Epe enters that contest with perhaps the most useful advantage available to a golfer: recent success on the same course.
His five-shot victory showed his ability to manage the par 72 Lakowe Lakes layout across three rounds, but the arrival of an international field should raise the level of competition.
There will also be more at stake.
The tournament carries a 50-thousand-dollar prize purse, while players will have an opportunity to earn Official World Golf Ranking points.
For Epe, however, the immediate challenge is turning domestic dominance into another strong performance against a wider African field.
He has already proved he can beat the Nigerian field at Lakowe.
From Friday, he gets the chance to discover how that winning form measures up against some of the continent’s best.
