IYONAGBE LOOKS OUT FOR SUCCOUR FROM COLLEAGUES
Nigeria's no1 golfer, Ralph Iyonagbe, is currently going through hell since his colleagues made it known to him that he would no longer be allowed to participate in golf tourneys unless he honours an agreement he signed with them sometime last year. Iyonagbe, who has won more tourneys than any of his peers, last year arrived Aba to feature in the Slok Open which had a new car as star attraction. Before the event, the professionals, including Iyonagbe, agreed that whoever won the car would give it up for sale with the proceeds shared among the pros.Iyonagbe won but he cut out on the agreement when he refused to place the car for sale. The
whereabout of the car could not even be ascertained Believing they were sold duff cards, the professionals met and vowed that they would never allow Iyonagbe in their midst until the car in question was produced. What began as a joke soon turned into a reality when the champion was shut out ofthe last two pro events of the year. To make amends, Iyonagbe even wrote to the Director of the Professional Golfers Association of Nigeria, Tony Uduimoh, for understanding and mercy. The move, however, appear to be yielding no fruit at all as the pros still stick to their guns:'No car,no deal'. But the Director of PGAN is already working out a new deal where Iyonagbe could produce half of the car's proceed and pay up the balance from tour wins. "I'm doing all I can to remedy this situation" Uduimoh said. "I can only do my best for the player. But at the end of the day, the whole thing will be thrown to the doorstep of his colleagues. What Ralph did was bad indeed. I saw the agreement. He was even the third person to sign. So why back out?Now, we are talking about a guy who has been winning about every tournament in the tour. His colleagues are indeed aggrieved. But like I said, I will do my best to solve this situation. But at the end of the day, it's his colleagues that will decide what they want. This is democracy". 1
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