West Brom and Stoke City supporters may be surprised at latest Peter Odemwingie news | OneFootball

The former forward is now a fully fledged professional golfer on the PGA Tour.

Since retiring from football in 2019, Peter Odemwingie has spent his time practicing for another sport.

The controversial figure is perhaps best known for his time at West Bromwich Albion, where, on the January 2013 deadline day, he was spotted outside Queens Park Rangers' training ground, as he attempted to move to the West London club without a bid ever being agreed upon between the two clubs.

It was during his West Brom days that he first started to pick up the golf clubs, beginning his journey to today, with the ex-Stoke City forward now a professional golf player after graduating as a PGA Member in May.

His eyes are now set on the Senior Tour, and he has the potential to become a cult hero in two sports, hoping to spread the game in the countries of his parents, Nigeria and Russia, with the latter also the nation in which he first started his footballing journey.

Odemwingie's interesting football career

Despite spending his youth career in Russia, the now 42-year-old made his senior debut with Bendel Insurance in the Nigerian Premier League, playing for the club for three years between 2000 and 2002.

Odemwingie bounced around Europe throughout the start of his playing days, plying his trade with La Louvière, Lille and Lokomotiv Moscow before joining West Brom in the opening month of the 2010/11 Premier League season.

The retired Nigerian international was extremely clinical in his first season in the Black Country, scoring 15 goals and picking up nine assists in 32 league games, including a goal on his debut against Sunderland.

His goal-scoring form in his first season was near perfect for the Baggies, as he broke the club record for Premier League goals scored in a season. Unfortunately for Odemwingie, Romelu Lukaku took the record off him just two seasons later with 17.

He spent two more seasons at the Hawthorns, becoming the club's all-time top scorer in the Premier League, before joining Cardiff City after their promotion to the top flight ahead of the 2013/14 campaign.

Odemwingie spent just half a year in the Welsh capital, with the sacking of Malky Mackay and the replacement of Ole Gunnar Solksjær causing the attacker to fall out of favour, moving to Stoke on an 18-month deal in exchange for Kenwyne Jones.

He started well at Stoke, and earned himself a place at the 2014 World Cup with Nigeria. But Odemwingie soon started to struggle, and he made just 31 appearances in all competitions for the Potters in just over two years - suffering a knee injury that kept him out for nearly the entirety of the 2014/15 season.

Before leaving Stoke, Odemwingie had a short-term loan at Bristol City in the Championship, making seven appearances and scoring twice. This would be his first taste of the second tier, as he moved to Rotherham United in 2016/17, where he once again played seven times before quickly leaving the club.

Before retiring five years ago, he moved to Indonesia to play for Madura United. The former West Brom star featured 23 times for the club in his retirement season, scoring 15 goals, the best return of his career.

West Brom and Stoke fans may be surprised by a career switch

Although Odemwingie had a hugely differing time at both clubs, it will come as a shock to see their former attacker don the glove and clubs professionally now.

He had first taken an interest in golf during his time at West Brom, with one of his former managers giving him the platform to ease into the sport. Speaking to the PGA, he said: "On one of the pre-season training trips with West Brom, Roy Hodgson took us to a golf resort and people were doing putting and playing full rounds on days off, so I was just passing by the range, and I thought I’d try and hit some balls.

"I was wearing slippers, but I hit a few, and I loved the sound and watching the ball fly. It was downhill so it carried further. I thought, ‘OK, there’s something in this’.”

After completing a degree at the University of Birmingham, Odemwingie has had the chance to take on the challenge of becoming a professional golfer, achieving his PGA membership just five years after he announced his retirement from football.

The 42-year-old is now hoping for a long, prosperous career in golf, and will be looking to become a competitive force in the sport in the years to come.