Former Nigerian soccer star pursues professional golf career

Last month, Odemwingie graduated as a member of the PGA, marking a significant step in his transition from soccer to golf.

The 42-year-old joined Aston Wood Golf Club in Staffordshire, where he achieved a handicap that qualified him to take the playing ability test.

Odemwingie, who scored more than 30 Premier League goals for West Bromwich Albion and also played for Cardiff City and Stoke City, represented Nigeria at two World Cups and won an Olympic medal in 2008.

He expressed his excitement about becoming a full-fledged PGA professional.

“My eyes are set on the senior tour in the future because I definitely know there is a player in me,” Odemwingie said. “This game offers us longevity and if you stay healthy you can play for a long time, as someone like Gary Player shows. Hopefully, when I’m older and have a lot of gray hair, I can tell a cool story about my time playing golf.”

Odemwingie also hopes to use his new status to promote golf, particularly in Nigeria and Russia, countries known for their football talent but with untapped potential in golf.

“These are very sporting nations, but they don’t have golfers to represent them on the world stage, which is a shame,” he said.

“I have had to prioritize my studies in recent years, but now that I graduated, I am in a position to do something. I hope to get support to organize some tournaments in Nigeria with decent prize money.”