By KPC Sports Reporter
Nigeria’s Francis Epe delivered a commanding performance to win the Sunshine Development Tour – West Africa Qualifying School, finishing at an impressive 7-under par 209 after three rounds at Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate in Lagos.
Epe, who carried the overnight lead into the final round, sealed victory in style with a superb 5-under par 67, underlining his consistency throughout the week to claim a dominant win on home soil.
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Reflecting on his performance, Epe said: “I’m really pleased with how I played this week. I stayed patient, trusted my game, and tried to keep things simple out there.”
“Coming into the final round with the lead, the focus was just to stay composed and take it one shot at a time. To finish the way I did is very satisfying. This means a lot, especially playing at home, and it gives me a lot of confidence going into the Tour season.”
Epe finished a remarkable nine shots clear of his closest challengers, with Ghana’s Barry Dzadey, Nigeria’s Bako Kamalu, and Godwin Okoko sharing second place on 2-over par 218.
A tie for fifth place on 3-over par 219 included Nigeria’s Andrew Odoh and Solomon Ideriah, rounding off a competitive leaderboard featuring players from across the region.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Tournament Director David Kihara praised the high standard of competition and the Tour’s growing impact.
“The level of competition we’ve seen this week has been very encouraging. There is clear depth of talent across this region, and platforms like this are exactly what is needed to help that talent grow,” he said.
“The Sunshine Development Tour is about creating opportunity and giving players a structured, merit-based pathway to compete, earn world ranking points, and progress to the next level. Expanding into West Africa is an important step in building a truly continental platform for African golf.”
The West Africa Qualifying School follows the successful East Africa edition held in Kenya, where Ali Wasim emerged winner.
With both regional qualifiers now complete, attention now shifts to the start of the Sunshine Development Tour season, set to tee off this Sunday, April 19, where players will compete for Order of Merit honours, Official World Golf Ranking points, and a pathway to the Sunshine Tour.
