Rising stars Justin Burrowes and Emily Mayne have been named among a 12-member team that will represent Jamaica at the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships, scheduled for August 8-13 in Puerto Rico, where they will compete for the Hoerman Cup and George Teale Trophy, for men and women, respectively.
The team boasts a mixture of experienced and new players and consists of six men and four women as well as two reserve players, who only travel to play if one of the named team members is unable to play.
The six-member men’s team comprises Burrowes, William Knibbs, Mark Newnham, Rocco Lopez, Shamar Wilson and Owen Samuda. Sebert Walker Jr. is the reserve player. The four-member female team is comprised of Mayne, Kai Harris, Tiana Cruz and Hannah Foster. Jodi Munn-Barrow is the reserve player.
Burrowes is coming off a very successful national senior trials in which he shot the lowest one-day score of 68 to end on par 288 over the four days, three strokes ahead of runner-up William Knibbs. He believes the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) has selected a strong team.
“I think it represents Jamaica's top golfers right now in the country. I feel like we have the talent, we have all the tools it takes. I think we have a great blend of players on the team,” he said.
“I feel like we all get along very well, especially with Dr Newnham on the team; having that team experience and he's done it a couple of times before, definitely more than I have, whether it's Hoerman Cup, or just representing Jamaica.
“I think that he definitely has been doing it for the longest and just carrying that experience and carrying that to the younger players, I feel like that will just inspire confidence in myself and Rocco, who is younger than us, and William, who is a little older. I feel like we just have a good blend and that's definitely one of the key things for performing well - just having a good team blend and a good team spirit.”
Mayne won the female section of the national trials with a combined score of 316 which included the best round of five-over-par 77 on the last day. She is preparing for some tough competition but expects the team to do well.
"I am looking forward to the tough competition at the CAGC and am also excited to play alongside the other three girls,” she said.
“Although I am the youngest on the team, I am just focused on preparing myself to do my absolute best and stay consistent. We have a great team so I believe that with teamwork and determination we can do very well."
Winning starts for Nelson, Distin
Jamaica and Oregon sprinter, Kemba Nelson, picked up where she left off last season with a narrow win in the women’s 60m at the Cougar Classic Invitational in Spokane.
The reigning NCAA champion only narrowly got the better of Double Pillar Athletics sprinter Destiny Smith-Barnett. In fact, both athletes were given the same time of 7.19 after crossing the line but it was Nelson who had the better time when the photo finish was used. Oregon’s Jadyn Mays was third in 7.27.
Elsewhere jumper Lamara Distin, a sophomore at Texas A&M, cleared an indoor personal-best 1.88m to win the women’s high jump at the two-day Ted Nelson Invitational. Nissi Kabongo of Stephen Austin recorded the second-best mark with 1.85m, while Texas’ Allyson Andress was third with 1.73.
Matsuyama's remarkable eagle seals Sony Open in Hawaii
Hideki Matsuyama produced a stunning second shot on the first playoff hole to claim victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii as he triumphed over Russell Henley.
The reigning Masters champion had trailed by five strokes on the back nine but produced a surge capped with a birdie at the last to force a playoff with Henley after both finished 23 under par.
Henley's putt on the 18th to win the tournament skimmed the outside edge of the hole and he was left to rue that miss in quite astonishing fashion.
They returned to the same hole for the playoff and Matsuyama, having gone for the 3-wood off the tee, elected to use the same club for his second shot from 277 yards away and could not have hit it any better, sending it to three feet for an eagle putt to secure his eighth PGA Tour title and his third in less than a year as Henley made bogey.
Waialae Country Club holds a special place in Japanese golf history, with it being the course where Isao Aoki became the first player from the country to win on the PGA Tour.
And Matsuyama was thrilled to replicate his achievement.
"I got on a roll, I'm glad it came out this way," said Matsuyama. "To follow him [Aoki] up, I'm over the moon."
Kevin Kisner and Seamus Power were Matsuyama and Henley's closest challengers, finishing in a tie for third, four strokes off the pace.
Alexander secures historic Winter Olympics qualification - athlete will be first Jamaica's first alpine skier
Former DJ Benjamin Alexander will become the first man to represent Jamaica, in skiing, at the Winter Olympics after qualifying for the Games last week.
Alexander will make his debut in the men’s giant slalom and qualified for the event after finishing seventh at the Cape Verde National Ski Championships on January 12.
Born to a Jamaican father and English mother, the athlete, now 38, did not take up the sport until 5 years ago while on a visit to Canada. Now he will number among a handful of Jamaicans, 14 to be exact, that have made an appearance at the Games. The journey was anything but simple.
"The biggest emotion I have right now is relief. I have put my entire life into this, my savings, my reputation, absolutely everything. It's taken 200% of my all to get here,” Alexander said.
Like so many, Alexander admits to being a fan of cult classic Cool Runnings, the now immortal story that paid tribute to the appearance of the Jamaica team at the 1988 Calgary Games.
"Had it not been for that movie and my friends making jokes about me being like Cool Runnings I don't think this plan would have been concocted,” Alexander said.
He hopes at the very least to be an inspiration.
"I don't want to take anything away from the people who started from the age of two.
"My story is all about participation and hopefully inspiring the next generation of Jamaican children to start earlier than 32."
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