For four days this week, the fairways of Celebrity Golf Club will play host to the biggest show in West African golf, as the Open Ghana 91st tees off from 16–19 September 2026 with a GHS 400,000 prize purse, a field sanctioned by the Ghana Golf Association, the R&A and the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and a slate of amateur prizes that includes international air travel and a car.
Few national opens on the continent can match this combination of sanctioning weight, prize depth and spectacle — and the numbers behind the 91st edition explain why this week matters well beyond Accra.
THE MONEY
The professional purse alone runs to GHS 400,000, spread across three divisions: the Professionals Regular (GHS 250,000), Professionals Ladies (GHS 100,000) and Professionals Seniors (GHS 50,000).
The winners’ cheques are substantial. The Professionals Regular champion takes home GHS 60,000, with the runner-up on GHS 35,000 and third on GHS 22,000. The Ladies’ champion collects GHS 28,000, second GHS 17,000 and third GHS 13,000, while the Seniors’ top prize is GHS 8,500, with GHS 5,700 and GHS 5,200 behind it. At the other end of the professional money list, positions still carry four-figure rewards — a depth of payout that keeps the field fighting to the last green rather than the last flight.
The Championship division pays its own way: the Men’s winner receives GHS 4,000, followed by 3,000, 2,000 and 1,000, with the Ladies’ champion on GHS 3,000, second 2,000 and third 1,000. Disbursement will be made through OmniBsic Bank or by cheque after the tournament.
THE FORMAT
This is a stroke play event, played under the rules of the R&A, USGA, GGA and the local rules of Celebrity Golf Club.
The headline divisions are the Professionals Regular (72 holes), Professionals Ladies (72 holes) and Professionals Seniors (54 holes), with the professional field cut to 21 players including ties after Day 2. The Championship Men’s and Ladies’ events run over 54 holes with no cut — every player who tees off on Thursday gets three full days to make a move.
Beneath them sits a broad supporting card: Handicap Men and Ladies over 36 holes, plus 18-hole events for Men’s Support, Ladies’ Support and Seniors. Entry is open to all valid PGA card holders in the professional ranks, with handicap indexes capped at 12.3 for Championship, 24.7 to 36.4 for Men’s Support B and Ladies Support B, 12.4 to 20.6 for Men’s Support C and Ladies Support C, 20.7 to 30.7 for Handicap Men, and 15.8 to 24.6 for Handicap Ladies, with Seniors for those 60 and above.
Ties for first place are settled by sudden death — Hole 1 twice, then Holes 17 and 18, repeating until a champion emerges. All other ties go to a card play-off over the last 18, 9, 6, 3 and final hole.
On the course, there are no carts, and Rule 18.1 is suspended: players must play from their original spot for an out-of-bounds or lost ball, with a three-minute search permitted. Penalty areas are marked by yellow and white stakes and treated as yellow regardless of marking, and preferred lies apply on fairways to within one grip’s length. Distance-measuring devices are allowed for amateurs; wind and gradient devices are not.
THE AMATEUR PRIZES
The 91st edition’s most striking incentive sits outside the paid ranks. Amateur golfers will compete for three all-expenses-paid international golf trips reserved for three separate winners — one each to Doha, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, with a return air ticket to each destination, plus hotel accommodation vouchers, watches from Caveman and vouchers from XMen.
And then there is the shot every golfer dreams about: a brand-new car for a hole-in-one during the championship.
THE SCHEDULE
Wednesday 16 September — Professionals, Day 1.
Thursday 17 September — Championship Men and Ladies, Day 1; Professionals, Day 2; Support Men C and Ladies C, Day 1.
Friday 18 September — Championship Men and Ladies, Day 2; Handicap Men and Ladies, Day 1; Professionals, Day 3; Support Men and Ladies; Seniors.
Saturday 19 September — Handicap Men and Ladies, Final Day; Championship Men and Ladies, Final Day; Professionals, Final Day.
THE STAKES
Beyond the main prizes, the organisers have laid on ancillary awards for longest drive and nearest to the pin in both men’s and ladies’ divisions, while the full prize slate runs to fifth place in Championship Men, Handicap and Support, third in Seniors, and third in Championship Ladies and Support Ladies.
There is a weight of expectation on this tournament that goes beyond the money. The R&A and WAGR sanctioning matters: results recorded this week count on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, giving Ghana’s leading amateurs a rare platform to move their names internationally without leaving West Africa. Sanctioned by the Ghana Golf Association and set on one of the country’s premier courses, the 91st Open is both a national championship and a shop window.
Behind the scenes, the tournament is in experienced hands. Isaac Aninakwah serves as Tournament Director, with Oswald Amuzu as Assistant Tournament Director and Chief Referee, Rodney Oddoye on finance, Anne-Rita Solano as Medical Representative from Bank Hospital, Dr Isaac Amoako-Mensah on course and setup, Nathan Donkor as Scoring and Results Manager, and Prof. Bernard Kofi Baiden in an advisory role. The Rules and Refereeing Committee comprises Theodore Asampong, Bismark Ntiedu Dapaah, Chao Peng, Eric Henaku and Cathy Fabbi.
THE VERDICT
A GHS 400,000 purse, world-ranking status and a car on the line for a single perfect shot: the Open Ghana 91st has assembled every ingredient of a proper championship. What happens on Hole 1 in sudden death, and whether anyone finds that hole-in-one, will decide whether the 91st is remembered for its money or its moments.
The professionals start Wednesday. The amateurs wait until Thursday. By Saturday evening, one of them will be driving something new.
Download the Tournament information as published in the official Open Ghana 91st brochure here