Jamaica’s Mattea Issa who was tied for 1st place with Camila Negroni of Puerto Rio watches the ball after teeing off in the second round of the 36th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship which is being played at the Caymanas Golf Club in St. Catherine.
Jamaica has been having a good time at the 36th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship (CAJGC) which is being played at the Caymanas Golf Course in St. Catherine.
At the end of the second round, they were first in the Girls 18 and Under and tied for second Girls 11-13 section but did not have competitions.
On the boys’ side they were second in the 18 and Under and the 11–13 sections and fifth in the 15 and Under category.
Mattea Issa, who ended the first day in second place, closed day two tied for first with Camila Negroni of Puerto Rico. Their combined score was 159 each. Issa made up the five-point deficit from the opening round after scoring seven over par 79 to Negroni’s 12 over par 84.
Jamaica’s sole representative in the 11-13 section, Alessandra Coe, improved her joint-third position on day one to second at the end of the second round.
She scored 86 in the round on top of 87 in the previous round for a two-day total of 173. Arissa Robinson of the Bahamas maintained her day one lead with 168 after two days with scores of 85 and 83.
Jamaica does not have any representative in the 15 and Under category.
On the boys’ side Ryan Lue was still the best placed Jamaican on the course even though he lost his position at the top of the leaderboard in the 18 and Under category.
He still had the lowest score of the championship with his five under par 67 in the first round. His second-round score of six over par 78 gave him a two-day total of one over par 145 which was five strokes behind the new leader Evan Pena of Puerto Rico.
Pena swapped place with Lue to top the second day leaderboard with scores of two days of two under par 70 resulting four under pay 140.
The other Jamaicans in the category were Trey Williams in fifth place on 154 (73, 81), Aman Dhiman one place back in sixth but with just one stroke separating them after posting 155 (72,83) at the end of the round. Noah Azan and Jerone Thomas were tied for 15th place on 167 for the two rounds.
Shasa Redlefsen who lead the 11-13 category at the end of day one dropped to second with his combined score of 158 (79, 79) after two rounds. Machael Avila of Puerto Rico took over the lead when he shot two under par on day two along with 86 in the first round for a total score of 156 which put him two strokes ahead of Redlefsen.
The other Jamaican in the category, Jacob Schnoor, remained in 11th place with scores of 104 and 97 for 102 overall.
The two Jamaicans in the 15 and Under category – Jamal Stewart and Kemari Morris - were languishing in 13th and 14th place, respectively with scores of 176 and 177. The leader in the category was Tomas Rodriguez of Puerto Rico who maintained his day one position with scores of even par 72 and four under par 68 for overall four under par 140. He shot the lowed score in the second round.
The course condition on day two ranged from rain in the morning to hot and sunny afternoon with little wind. Several of the golfers including the Jamaicans posted higher scores than day one which could account for the higher day two scores.
Matsuyama credits St. Jude Championship win down to new putter
Hideki Matsuyama credited his St. Jude Championship triumph down to his new putter as he avoided a late collapse to claim a 10th win in a playoff event.
Matsuyama, who had gone 27 holes without a bogey and held a five-shot lead, saw his lead evaporate after a difficult stretch through holes 12 to 15.
Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele briefly passed the Japanese, before a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole regained his advantage at the top of the standings.
Matsuyama would birdie the final hole to card an even-par 70 and a two-shot victory over Hovland and Schauffele, but even he felt the win was slipping from his grasp.
“I felt today's victory slipping away at that point because 17 and 18 are difficult holes enough, let alone to birdie them,” Matsuyama said.
Matsuyama has never shied away from testing different putters on the PGA Tour, usually travelling with five or six to each event.
The 32-year-old continued that tradition at TPC Southwind in Tennessee this time around, but chose to use one he had yet to play with in the competition, something that proved to be a pivotal decision.
“Coming into Memphis, I felt like I needed a change of pace, kind of a refresh with my putter,” Matsuyama said after winning the opening leg of the FedExCup Playoffs.
“I thought about the putters I had, and I felt – because I knew this course. I knew the condition of the greens.
I thought this putter might work, and it did. I putted great, and I won.”
With the triumph, Matsuyama moves on to the BMW Championship for the 11th time in his career after having to withdraw last year due to a back injury.
His best showing in the competition saw him finish third in 2019, five shots behind Justin Rose, but Matsuyama kept his cards close to his chest when asked which flatstick he’ll have in his bag at Castle Pines in Colorado next week.
"Whether or not I'll use it next week, we'll see,” he said. “I've never played Castle Pines and we'll just have to wait and see what the greens are like there before I choose which putter I'll use.”
Matsuyama birdies final hole to clinch St. Jude Championship victory
Hideki Matsuyama birdied the final hole to clinch a two-stroke victory at the St. Jude Championship.
On a topsy-turvy final day in the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, overnight leader Matsuyama held his nerve at the last at TPC Southwind in Tennessee.
Matsuyama carded his worst round of the tournament on Sunday, but a cool and composed birdie putt sealed a 17 under finish and his 10th win in a playoff event.
The 2021 Masters champion held off 2024's form player Xander Schauffele, who rose up seven places after going round in 63 to tie second on 15 under along with Viktor Hovland.
World number two Scottie Scheffler placed fourth, a shot back, ahead of Sam Burns and Nick Dunlap, whose par on the final hole ensured his place in the top 50, meaning he will be able to play in the second leg of the playoffs.
That will take place next week, at the BMW Championship at Castle Pines in Colorado.
Spieth plans for wrist surgery after FedEx Cup disappointment
Jordan Spieth plans to have surgery on his troublesome wrist injury as soon as possible, the American said after his disappointing FedEx Cup playoffs exit.
The three-time major champion could only finish nine-over par at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, leaving him towards the bottom of the leaderboard and well short of the top-10 position required to progress.
Spieth has battled with a wrist issue for over a year, having first suffered the injury ahead of the 2023 PGA Championship before attempting various treatments to avoid going under the knife.
Yet the 31-year-old has acknowledged surgery is now needed, hoping to get the issue with his left hand resolved.
"I've got to have it operated on ASAP, and then I'll go through the process of what I'm supposed to do from there," Spieth said on Sunday.
The tendon issue has shown no signs of healing, with Spieth expecting a three-month recovery period for his wrist to heal.
"If I don't have a reason to try to rush back – which I don't – I'll probably just take it as slow as I can," he added.
Spieth has failed to make the cut eight times this year in 21 tournaments, though Sunday was just the second instance he has not managed to progress past the first round of the FedEx Cup.
"I kept trying not to make excuses for myself because it didn't hurt when I was swinging," Spieth said.
"But it doesn't seem coincidental based on the amount of time, and really the results being the exact same every single week. So I'm very hopeful.
"I think there's some clarity in getting it done. There's also some uncertainty, and so it's a little scary.
"But also, if I can learn to find some patience – which I'm not very good at doing – then I think I could come back stronger."
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