- Title: ''I'll take the golf world by storm'' says Nigerian female teen golfer
- Date: 2nd January 2020
- Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF IYENE ESSIEN PRACTICING / HER MOM WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEEN GOLFER, IYENE ESSIEN, SAYING: ''I saw the boy playing, I wanted to take his clubs but my dad said no, so he asked me if I wanted to play and I said yes, so he bought me clubs and got me a golf professional to train me.'' VARIOUS OF IYENE ESSIEN WORKING ON HER SWING IYENE ESSIEN WALKING TO HER MOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEEN GOLFER, IYENE ESSIEN, SAYING: ''In this game you compete against yourself and not other players which is very exciting, since you compete against yourself and not other people even though your caddy is caddying for you it is still your mistake, you are the one playing so you cannot blame your caddy or anyone for the mistake you made.'' WOMAN TAKING A SHOT IYENE ESSIEN BEING TALKED TO BY A LADY GOLFER FLAG IYENE ESSIEN STROKES GOLF BALL / APPLAUSE BANNER READING (English): ''NIGERIA LADIES OPEN 2019'' VARIOUS OF WOMEN HUGGING AND CONGRATULATING IYENE ESSIEN MEDALS AND TROPHIES ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEEN GOLFER, IYENE ESSIEN, SAYING: ''These are the trophies I have won throughout my eight-year career of playing golf. This is my first trophy that I won at the age of 5 at the Ivy League Golf Club. This is the medal that I won at South Africa at US Kids where I came first and this I won at the US Kids World Teen Championship at North Carolina, I came 15th.'' IYENE ESSIEN AND HER PARENTS IYENE'S DAD/CADDY HANDING HER GOLF CLUBS IYENE PRACTICING IYENE'S DAD/CADDY COACHING HER VARIOUS OF IYENE PRACTICING SHOTS / HER PARENTS LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEEN GOLFER, IYENE ESSIEN, SAYING: ''It is very difficult to combine going to school and practicing for golf because at school I have a lot of homework to do and to revise for tests but in golf I also have to practice a lot and get ready for tournaments, so it is very difficult to combine the two.'' (SOUNDBITE) (English) IYENE'S FATHER, EYO ESSIEN, SAYING: ''She still has some room for growth and I think as I said by the age of 15 she will be ripe you know to take the golf world by storm.'' VARIOUS OF IYENE PRACTICING HER PUTTING / PARENTS WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEEN GOLFER, IYENE ESSIEN, SAYING: ''I will study artificial Intelligence aerobotics. I will combine my studies with playing in the university golf team. In the next ten years with a degree in my hand, I will play as a professional golfer.'' VARIOUS OF ESSIEN PUSHING HER GOLF CART
- Embargoed: 16th January 2020 10:45
- Keywords: 13-year-old golf prodigy 2022 Youth Summer Olympics Iyeneobong Essien Tiger Woods golf teen golfer
- Location: ABUJA, NIGERIA
- City: ABUJA, NIGERIA
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Golf,Sport,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001BUHCPCN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Iyeneobong or "Iyene" Essien is planning on "taking the world of golf by storm" and works hard at every opportunity to achieve that goal.
The 13-year-old Nigerian golfer who currently holds the number one ranking in Nigeria's junior golf circuit, developed a passion for the sport at the age 5 while watching a boy playing the game at Abuja's popular IBB Golf Club.
She wanted the boy's clubs but her father bought Essien her own set and also arranged for a coach.
Still at the age of 5, she attended her first tournament, won a medal, and it's been a roller coaster ride for her since then.
Essien says she loves the game because it has also taught her about self-reliance and accountability.
''In this game you compete against yourself and not other players which is very exciting, since you compete against yourself and not other people even though your caddy is caddying for you it is still your mistake, you are the one playing so you cannot blame your caddy or anyone for the mistake you made,'' she told Reuters.
Essien was the only teenage golfer to participate at the recently held 2019 Nigeria Ladies Golf Open Championship in the capital Abuja where she came 10th out of about 177 female golfers that took part.
In 8 years Essien has represented Nigeria 11 times across Europe, Africa and the United States of America. She has a total number of 17 medals to show for it.
''These are the trophies I have won throughout my eight-year career of playing golf. This is my first trophy that I won at the age of 5 at the Ivy League Golf Club. This is the medal that I won at South Africa at US Kids where I came first and this I won at the US Kids World Teen Championship at North Carolina, I came 15th,'' she told Reuters while showcasing her medals.
Essien practices only on weekends and says it's challenging combining studying and her hobby.
But her supportive parents are always with her during practice and tournaments, and her father often doubles up as her caddy.
''It is very difficult to combine going to school and practicing for golf because at school I have a lot of homework to do and to revise for tests but in golf I also have to practice a lot and get ready for tournaments so it is very difficult to combine the two,'' she says.
''She still has some room for growth and I think as I said by the age of 15 she will be ripe you know to take the golf world by storm,'' adds her father, Eyo Essien, who is a consultant economist.
Essien has already attended the IMG Golf Academy in Florida, but says she has other interests that she plans to pursue concurrently with a golf career.
''I will study artificial intelligence aerobotics. I will combine my studies with playing in the university golf team. In the next ten years with a degree in my hand, I will play as a professional golfer,'' she said.
Essien hopes to one day invest in making sure kids from poor homes are also given the chance to develop their love for golf.
For now, she's working on delivering her country's first gold medal for golf at the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics.
(Production: Angela Ukomadu, Abraham Achirga,Okwi Okoh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
