Patience accounts for my edge over other pros – Odoh (2)

This is concluding the moving story of Nigeria’s golf megastar, Andrew Ochei Odoh, who has since set an all time record of 47 major wins from 100 starts. My game My game is compact since I want it so. I have a routine while preparing for tourneys. I train hard and work out plans for […]

This is concluding the moving story of Nigeria’s golf megastar, Andrew Ochei Odoh, who has since set an all time record of 47 major wins from 100 starts.

My game

My game is compact since I want it so. I have a routine while preparing for tourneys. I train hard and work out plans for any given event. At the event proper, I still hold tight what my psychologist imbibed in me way back in 2004 when I was turning professional in South Africa. That teaching was simple enough, that is in a game situation, I should care less about my opponents and challenge the course. In other words, if am doing badly in some holes, this means I have not challenged the course enough. But at other times things could really go awry like it could for fellow competitors. However, while others panic, I patiently move aside and pull out my Plan B. In essence, patience is the key here. This is the edge I think I have over others. While they panic and make this affect the flow of their game, I stay steady to recover shots I lost while playing badly. But one thing is always clear. After a game, I must spend time at the Range to correct all errors I made in the course of playing a round. At all times I stay focused and competitive.

Life on the tour

It is always interesting to move from one part of the country to the other to play in a tourney. Professional golfers are always on the move and this is the fun. On Tour, it is a common sight to see pros flocking around in clusters and share total friendship. I love such atmosphere but you will hardly see me among group of friends. Those who don’t know me could quickly conclude that I am a loner. But this is a wrong perception of the real me. I socialize. I hang around a great friend we all know on Tour as Teco, but I love doing things my way. Okay, most of my colleagues drink and smoke but I don’t do those things. However, I don’t see those who do those things as bad guys. Truth is everybody has his own way of killing boredom while on Tour. Even world greats like Tiger Woods and Phil Michelson do drink. There is really nothing wrong with it.  Everybody has his own routine of staying strong on Tour. It all depends on what keeps you strong while out there.

Emos Corblah

This Ghanaian star is a man I hold in such high esteem. He belongs, by right to play in the Senior Tour but he still plays in the regular Tour. At such age of 60 plus, he still strikes the ball magnificently. I really can’t say where such energy is coming from. I always confront him in the last stage of most of tourneys I played in. I must confess that anytime I confront Corblah I must stay really sharp and focused. The man is capable of changing his game at any level of play and he is so sharp witted. He is highly competitive and can march you hole for hole. I have lost some painful games to him but the truth remains that we share mutual respect for each another.

Pulling out of WAG Tour

When the West African Golf Tour was debuting, myself and other professionals show great delight. But from inception, the rules guiding the Tour were not well defined. This even led to that Tour and our PGA not sharing common ground. Even at the moment, some members of the Tour are not eligible to play in PGA tourneys. This is not really good enough. Anyway, the real reason I am parting ways has to do with some of its laws that conflict with my schedules. I can’t imagine a law in WAG compelling me to attend a particular tournament. I can’t really take that.

Corporate sponsorship

This is one thing that is working against the development of the pro game in Nigeria. Sponsors don’t just show up. Go to Europe and America… even South Africa, and you see sponsors flooding all over themselves to stage tourneys every week. But here, it’s through the grace of God we get to play in one tourney in two months. This is not good enough. In the past, we heard that sponsors were not willing to invest because our game was not good enough. But these days most of us have upped our game but we still don’t see them. It will be good, if corporate sponsors can have a rethink and join our game. This is essential so the game can witness genuine growth.