25 amateur golfers compete for 5 available PGA membership slots

25 Amateur Golfers across golf clubs in the country will be Competing for 5 Available Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Membership Slots which comes off on August 11 to August 14 at the Dameng Golf Course.

The competition is a new initiative by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) which will purposely enhance the development of golfers to the professional level and also achieve PGA’s target of getting over 100 professional golfers in the next two calendar years.

Tournament Director of Ghana PGA Akwesi Prempeh, believes this competition is a good platform for amateur golfers to showcase their talent and experience aquired so far at the amateur level if indeed they want to become professionals.

'As at the end of filling and entry of participation, Tema County Golf Club top the list with six (6) golfers seeking to turn pros, both Tafo and Royal Golf Club presented five. Other clubs are Nsuta with four (4), the host club Damang and Celebrity filed for two each and Achimota had only one in the person of Sampson Assorgbah, completing the list of 25. I believe this will be a good start up to get more golfers so we will do this every year at Damang.’

On the part of qualification he indicated that +12 score over four days is set as the benchmark qualification standard scratch score (SSS) for all golfers.

However, if more than 5 Golfers play par of +12 score they will go through ‘Sudden Death’ to further reduce the number to the required five and if non of the Golfers play +12 score or better over the four days, then it means they will try their luck next year.

‘When you play plus 12 over course par you will qualify to be a professional golfer. We have just five slots for the golfers to grab but in case of more than five golfers playing +12 then they will go through Sudden Death to decide the final 5.

Akwesi Prempeh said PGA expect all amateur golfers to be professional enough and follow all laid down rules governing the competition and make themselves proud.

‘They are aware of the rules and it’s available to them so we expect them to follow it and play the competition as how professionals behaves because you want to become one.’

This amateur competition will be the part of the PGA’s yearly calendar to get more amateur golfers turning Professionals.

Akwasi Prempeh salute all members of Ghana PGA especially the seniors and thank Gold Fields Ghana Limited for giving them Damang golf course to host the event.