Premier League cult hero becomes PGA professional after turning hand to golf

Peter Odemwingie – remembered forever for his infamous West Brom-QPR deadline day faux pas – has qualified as a PGA professional.

Odemwingie reached cult hero status while playing for the Baggies, after driving down to QPR in 2013 hoping to push a move through. However, he was made to to return to his parent club for the rest of the season, as no deal was reached.

Spells at Cardiff and Stoke followed before the striker retired from the game after a spell with Madura United in Indonesia. He then enrolled in a Professional Gold Studies course in Birmingham, and graduated this year, hoping to make it in the professional golfing game – something he hopes to be a part of into his old age.

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The Nigerian international scored 36 Premier League goals during his career, earning three Player of the Month awards and becoming West Brom’s all-time Premier League top goalscorer in the meantime. His career will perhaps always be overshadowed however by the deadline day hilarity, made all the more infamous due to Sky Sports’ camera’s recording the whole ordeal, but he’s now hoping to pave his way in an entirely different sport.

Speaking to the PGA, Odemwingie stated: “I’m proud because I challenged myself not only to apply effort in a sport but also academically. I hope my story motivates people to follow suit, whether that’s through The PGA or any other form of studies.

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“The course takes some effort to accomplish. I hear that people do quit halfway through because of the volume of it and the pressure that comes with it.

“It wasn’t easy, but I think the character I developed from football helped. I’ve had those times when I had a goal drought and didn’t score for five or six months, but you have to keep going – sometimes you just have to endure.”

“My eyes are on the senior tour in the future because I definitely know there is a player in me. 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 old with a lot of grey hairs I’ll be able to tell a pretty cool story about my time playing golf.”

Odemwingie intends to develop the sport in Russia, as well as his home country of Nigeria. We may even see the marksman on the PGA tour sometime soon.