After winning The John Shippen Women’s Invitational at the Blythefield Country Club in Michigan, professional golfer Georgia Oboh, 23, earned two LPGA starts. In the Dow Championship, she paired with fellow Shippen competitor Lakareber Abe to place eighth.
“It was great to showcase our skills and show why we belong on that big stage,” said Oboh. “Hopefully, we’ll both be out on the LPGA tour again.”
The John Shippen Women’s Invitational is a series of competitions created to provide opportunities for prominent Black golfers. Oboh has played in Shippen events since 2022. She described it as a chance to test her golf game on LPGA host venues as well as be surrounded by like-minded young women.
Oboh, who is of Nigerian heritage, was born and raised in England. She discovered her destiny as a child while spectating at the British Open. “Lorena Ochoa was the world number one, and she was playing, I think, the 17th hole, and I was by the tee box watching her and her group, and she spotted me out of the crowd and threw me a golf ball from her bag,” Oboh recalled. “That’s when I kind of became determined that I was going to be in the same position she was in and be number one.”
When the weather is agreeable, Oboh, who turned professional in 2018, trains at a golf club close to home. This past winter, she stayed in England, building up her strength and conditioning. Most years, she travels to South Africa or Spain for training during the off-season. She has played tournaments around the world and said her golf career is “a very interesting journey.”
Oboh described her family as sports loving with her grandparents being very active tennis players in Nigeria. When they found tennis a bit too strenuous, her grandmother decided to try golf. During a visit to England to see Oboh’s family, her grandmother expressed a desire to play a round. In time, both of Oboh’s parents took up the sport and became club champions. They introduced her to the sport because they wanted something that would challenge her.
This week, she’s back in the U.S. trying to qualify for the Dana Open. Next week, she will try to qualify for the Canadian Women’s Open. Then, the Portland Classic. After that, she will either return to England or stay in the U.S. and participate in LPGA qualifying school.
