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.
Samuda and Munn-Barrow triumph at AMG Buccaneer Memorial Golf Tournament
Owen Samuda and Jodi Munn-Barrow emerged as champions of the AMG Buccaneer Memorial Golf Tournament, held at the Caymanas Golf Club in St. Catherine over the weekend. The annual event, one of Jamaica’s most prestigious golf tournaments, saw over 80 golfers competing despite challenges posed by recent weather conditions.
Samuda, who has been enjoying a stellar run of form, dominated the male category with back-to-back rounds of one-under-par 71, finishing with an impressive two-under-par 142. He won by a commanding 13-stroke margin, cementing his reputation as one of the country’s top golfers.
Reflecting on his victory, Samuda shared, “After the disappointment in the Jamaica Open last week, I realized that you can’t drive a car while looking behind you. I came into this tournament with a lot of confidence and positive thoughts. I played really well yesterday, and even better today, so I feel great about the win.”
Samuda’s performance marked the only under-par scores across the tournament. Former national champion Oshae Haye finished second with an 11-over-par 155, while Zandre Roye and Sean Morris tied for third at 14-over-par 158.
In the female category, Jamaica Golf Association President Jodi Munn-Barrow delivered her trademark consistency to claim the Ladies 0-6 title. Munn-Barrow posted scores of 75 on both days, totaling six-over-par 150 to secure her win by a comfortable 21 strokes over Michele McCreath, who finished at 171.
“It was a little more difficult this time,” Munn-Barrow admitted. “I haven’t been playing much because of my involvement with the Jamaica Open, so my game this weekend was scrappy. But I managed to get the ball around, and I’m happy with how I performed despite not being at my best.”
The tournament also featured numerous category winners, including Quentin Hugh-Sam and Philip Gooden, who scored 168 to win the Men & Men Senior 7-12 section. Other winners included Gifford Wilmott (Men & Men Senior 13-24) with a score of 157, and Diane Hudson, who topped the Ladies 13 and over category with a score of 184.
The event, held for the 29th year, is a tribute to seven of Jamaica’s past national golf representatives: Milton "Buddy" Josephs, Izette Rhone, Lenan "Lennie" Chin, John Fulford, Al Chong, Claude Stewart, and Mark Chin. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Lawes Street Trade Training Centre, with the goal of raising JMD$1 million annually.
Peter Chin, president of the Buccaneers Golf Club, praised the event’s resilience despite weather challenges. “This tournament has been running since the 1990s and is the oldest golf tournament outside of the Jamaica Open on the JGA calendar. The course was in great condition considering the rain over the past few weeks,” Chin said.
The AMG Buccaneer Memorial Golf Tournament was sponsored by AMG Packaging, with Scientific & Medical Supplies as an associate sponsor.
McIlroy honoured to be 'mentioned in same breath' as Ballesteros after matching Race to Dubai tally
Rory McIlroy says he is honoured to be "mentioned in the same breath" as Seve Ballesteros, after matching the Spaniard's haul of six Race to Dubai titles.
McIlroy secured the title for the third year running following his victory at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Sunday.
The four-time major winner finished two shots clear of Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard to seal his third triumph in the event.
"Everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and Ryder Cup players," an emotional McIlroy told Sky Sports.
"The European Ryder Cup locker room, all we have are quotes from Seve. We had a changing room with Seve's shirt from [1995], the last Ryder Cup he played.
"He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath, I'm very proud."
"I've been through a lot this year, professionally, personally, and it feels like the fitting end to 2024," added McIlroy, who narrowly lost out on the US Open title to Bryson DeChambeau.
"I've persevered this year a lot, had close calls, wasn't able to get it done. I'm really pleased with the way I finished and, thankfully, I hung on after a tough day and got the job done."
McIlroy seals sixth Race to Dubai title with DP World Tour Championship triumph
Rory McIlroy secured his sixth Race to Dubai title with victory at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
McIlroy finished at 15 under par and two shots clear of Rasmus Hojgaard, who he partnered during the final round, to seal glory at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The four-time major winner claimed his record-equalling third triumph in this event, matching Jon Rahm.
It is also his third successive Race to Dubai victory - and sixth overall to move level with Seve Ballesteros.
McIlroy was tied for the lead heading into the final day, and a run of four successive birdies gave him a three-shot advantage early on.
However, he hit bogeys on the ninth and 13th holes, allowing Hojgaard to draw level heading into the final four.
Nevertheless, McIlroy dug deep with a brilliant approach leading to a birdie on the 16th, which put him back in front.
And while Hojgaard could only par the final hole after narrowly missing a birdie putt, the Northern Irishman held his nerve with another birdie to seal his seventh tournament win in Dubai.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
