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• Sandals Foundation's Care for Kids Junior Programme shaping stars on and off the golf course

  With the lush greens of the picturesque Sandals Golf and Country Club in Upton at their disposal, a number of young talents took centre stage as they paraded their skills in the inaugural drive, chip and putt tournament.

  Hosted by the Sandals Foundation, through their Care for Kids Junior Golf Programme, the tournament, not only treated the aspiring stars to a day of excitement, but also served as a qualifier for the prestigious Sandals Golf and Jerk Festival, scheduled for June.

  Among the 13 competitors, who graced the course on Saturday was 12-year-old Cavani James, whose passion for the sport and unwavering determination shone brightly as he executed well in all three strokes to emerge victorious. James tallied a score of 75 to finish ahead of Jerone Thomas (66) and Tyreek Smith (58).

  By virtue of their performances, all three junior golfers secured spots in the Sandals Golf and Jerk Festival – an exciting sports and food event –where they will be paired with their senior counterparts.

  For James, golf is more than just a game, it is a lifelong dream in the making. From the moment he first picked up a club two years ago while attending Exchange Primary, James knew that he had found his calling.

  His appetite for the sport intensified even more when he started attending weekend sessions under the guidance of Sandals golf pro Bill Williams, who has nurtured homegrown talents such Romaine Williams and others.

  With each swing and each putt, James, fuelled by a burning desire to excel on the golf course, honed his skills, and the Ocho Rios High student recently showcased that skill with a level of maturity beyond his years.

  Throughout the tournament, James faced stiff competition from older players and fellow aspiring young golfers alike. But with nerves of steel and a steady hand, he navigated the challenges with precision and poise.

  "I feel very good to have won the tournament, especially because I was late in getting to the course and I thought that I wasn't going to make it, but God had other plans for me. So, I am really happy, the tournament itself was also a challenge, anybody who knows golf knows it can be frustrating when the strokes don’t come off how you want them to, but it was good,” James said.

  “My expectation is very high for the Sandals Golf and Jerk Festival, I know it is going to be good for me because when I start playing in more tournaments, the better I will get because my ambitions are to go as far as possible in the sport. So, I am going to keep working on what I have to with Mr. Bill [Williams] because I would like to go far in this sport, not only for me, but also to make my mother proud,” he added.

  

  Patrice Gilpin, Sandals Foundation’s public relations manager pointed out that the tournament was another testament of the foundation’s years of hard work and dedication. But more than that, she said it also gave a glimpse into a bright future filled with endless possibilities as the sky is the limit for the young golfing prodigies.

  Beyond golf, Gilpin explained that the Care for Kids Programme, which engages kids between the ages of seven and 18 years old, through weekly mentorship training programme, also imparts life skills that prepares them to navigate whatever challenges lay ahead.

  “Even if they're not sure about golf, they learn something different, something new. Sports is an amazing avenue that teaches young people personal responsibility, discipline, teamwork, how to be resilient, and how to continue to work at themselves. So, they're learning very targeted soft skills through this programme that also provides very keen mentors for them throughout these very delicate stages of their development,” Gilpin reasoned.

  She continued: “So our care for kids go program has been doing an amazing job over the years. We've had kids graduate from the programme and represent Jamaica on the international level. We have two of the current students right now chosen for the Caribbean Amateur golf tournament that's coming up in July.

  “So, it's been a very successful programme for us, and it was beautiful just to see the young boys and girls put their heart and souls into showcasing their skills and doing their best in order to qualify to be part of the huge, the bigger tournament that's coming up in June.”

  Meanwhile, Jonathan Newnham, director of golf at the Sandals Golf and Country Club, echoed similar sentiments.

  “It was great to see the progress of the juniors. They were a little nervous, as expected, but they were able to gather themselves and really perform. The top three started off very rough, but produced a great comeback at the end, so I made sure to stress that as a great lesson that goes beyond the sport of golf, but for life as well. Even if you're down early, don't give. I'm really looking forward to them. getting that opportunity to test themselves against the experienced players in June, and it will only help them going forward,” Newnham noted.

• McIlroy revels in 'awesome' 25th PGA Tour title alongside Lowry

  Rory McIlroy said his 25th PGA Tour title was made all the more special by the fact it came alongside Shane Lowry after the Irish duo won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in a play-off on Sunday.

  Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer were among the early starters in Avondale and set a target of 25 under by carding a nine-under 63 in the fourth round.

  It went down to the wire as McIlroy and Lowry birdied the final hole to set up a play-off, which they won by making par after Trainer missed his par putt.

  The victory took McIlroy to a quarter of a century on the PGA Tour, and he said lifting the trophy alongside a close friend made it one of his most memorable.   

  The world number two said: "To win any PGA Tour event is very cool, but to do it with one of your closest friends… 

  "Think about where we met and where we've come from, to be on this stage and do this together, it was just awesome to be able to do it alongside this guy."

  Former Open champion Lowry, who now has three PGA titles to his name, added: "Rory brings a crowd, and people love him. 

  "We've got a lot of love this week in New Orleans, we've had just the best week. We went out there, we had loads of fun, and we won the tournament. You couldn't ask for a better week."

• A closer look at the hot streak of world number one Scottie Scheffler

  Scottie Scheffler claimed his fourth win in five events on Monday when the weather-delayed RBC Heritage concluded at Hilton Head.

  That run includes a second Masters title and has seen the world number one extend his sizeable lead over Rory McIlroy at the top of the rankings.

  Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the facts and figures around Scheffler’s streak and how they compare to previous runs.

  What makes Scheffler’s streak so impressive?

  Winning any event on the PGA Tour is difficult, but Scheffler has claimed two of the biggest in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship, a major championship at Augusta National and the RBC Heritage, which boasted a stronger than usual field after being elevated to a Signature Event this season. Victory at Sawgrass made Scheffler the first player ever to win back-to-back Players titles. His only “failure” was a tie for second in the Houston Open.

  Has this been done before?

  Scheffler is the first player to win four times in five starts on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods, who did so at the end of 2007 and again to start 2008. He is also the third player in the last 30 years – after Woods and Vijay Singh (2004) – to win or finish runner-up in five consecutive starts on the PGA Tour. With many players taking a break after winning a major, Scheffler is also the first to win a PGA Tour event the week after claiming a green jacket since Bernhard Langer in 1985.

  How much has Scheffler earned?

  Scheffler has banked an average of £3.17million for each of his four victories and “only” £448,000 for his five-way tie for second behind Stephan Jaeger in the Houston Open. The total sum of £13.14m would place Scheffler 145th on the PGA Tour’s career earnings list and he is closing in on the single-season record of £17million he set last year. In comparison, Woods won nine times on the PGA Tour in 2000, including three major titles, and never finished worse than 23rd in 20 starts. His prize money totalled £7.4m.

  Does the world ranking reflect Scheffler’s dominance?

  In a word, yes. Ahead of the Genesis Invitational in mid-February, Rory McIlroy could have become world number one by winning at Riviera with Scheffler finishing third or worse. Now, Scheffler has more than double the total and average points of McIlroy, while the average points gap between the top two (7.6493) is bigger than that between McIlroy and the players tied for 4,123st in the standings.

  So is Scheffler the most dominant player in world golf?

  Not quite. Hours before Scheffler completed his victory in Hilton Head, fellow American Nelly Korda had wrapped up a fifth consecutive win on the LPGA Tour by claiming her second major title in the Chevron Championship. Korda’s winning streak matches that of Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam in 2004-05, although her bid for an unprecedented sixth straight win will have to wait after she cited exhaustion when pulling out of this week’s event in Los Angeles. While Scheffler has earned £13.14m from his last five events, Korda’s five wins have been worth £1.94m.