Team Jamaica returned to the island earlier this week as five-time winners of the Caribbean Golf Association’s 4-Ball Championship, which was held in Trinidad and Tobago at the Plantation Golf and Country Club.

Since 2020, when Jamaica won the overall trophy or the Ambrose Gouthro Cup, the island’s golfers have distinguished themselves by winning the cup each year including this year having amassed 73 points over Trinidad and Tobago’s 56.

The other islands in the six-team championship were Bermuda in third place with 38 points, the Bahamas on 34, Barbados on 23, and the Cayman Islands placed sixth with nine points.

Jamaica entered the championship with the largest number of golfers, numbering twenty, followed by host country Trinidad and Tobago with sixteen. There were six-trophy categories within the championship. Jamaica won four of the six categories, came second in one and fifth in the other, while putting on a dominant display over its Caribbean partners. The male/female trophy breakdown showed three wins and a fifth place for the men, while the women won one and came second in the other.

Dr. Mark Newnham and Owen Samuda teamed up to capture the Francis Steele & Perkins Cup for the senior men ahead of Bermuda after posting seven under par 209 over the three rounds, to one under par 215 by Bermuda. They had two very good rounds of three under par each for the second and third rounds, respectively, while scoring one under par 71 in the first round.

The duo of Radcliff Knibbs and Keith Stein posted even more impressive scores to take the Higgs & Higgs Trophy. Their three-day total of eleven under par 205 resulted from three under par 69 in the first round and four under par 68 in the last two rounds. The B team of Metry Seaga and Mike Glieckman came in second with a four under par 212 score, while Trinidad came in third with one over par 217.

The Ashraph Ali Trophy for Masters or men over 70 went to Jamaica’s men’s team of Dorrel Allen and Victor Hudson. They posted a combined score of 220 to share the trophy with the Bahamas, who posted the same score.

The local duo of Andre Dhanpaul and Delroy Johnson were no match for Bermuda in the quest for the Ramon Baez Romano Trophy for mid amateur men. Bermuda’s total score was nine under par 207 while Jamaica posted 24 over par 240 for fifth place.

The combination of Michelle McCreath and Maggie Lyn grabbed the Dessie Henry Trophy for females 45 and over. They scored 252 ahead Trinidad and Tobago’s 264 in second place.

Trinidad and Tobago turned the tables on Jodi Munn-Barrow and Lisa Gardner to take the Maria Nunes Trophy for ladies 25 and over. Trinidad and Tobago’s combined score of 240 was just two strokes ahead of Jamaica’s 242.

President of the Jamaica Golf Association, Jodi Munn-Barrow, expressed delight at the accomplishment.

“I am extremely proud of team Jamaica at this year’s 4-Ball Championships, victorious in all except one category this year and a second place finish. We continue to streak five years as overall champion and everybody went out there, the team played hard, the conditions were tough, course was windy but we all played to our game plan and I am very very proud of all of all of the team members," she said.

Reigning champions Jamaica is set to field the largest team to the Caribbean Golf Association's (CGA) Four-Ball Golf Championships, as 64 players from eight countries are set to contest this year’s edition of the tournament scheduled for October 17 to 20 in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Jamaican contingent comprises 20 players, with hosts Trinidad and Tobago fielding 14 players, while Barbados and Bahamas are set to field 10 and eight players, respectively. Bermuda (6) with Cayman Islands (2), Puerto Rico (2), and St. Lucia (2) have also been confirmed for what should be a competitive event at the Plantations Golf and Country Club.

Jamaica copped the overall title last year ahead of the Bahamas.

They were victorious in the Ladies 25 plus, as well as the Men's Senior and 70 plus divisions, while the Bahamian players copped the Men's Mid-Amateur and Super-Senior Categories. Trinidad and Tobago claimed the Ladies' 45 plus honours.

The teams are scheduled to arrive in the Twin Island Republic on Wednesday, with the opening ceremony set for Thursday at the Magdalena Grand Beach and Golf Resort.

Tournament action will get underway on Friday and continue until Sunday, starting at 8:00am each day, with an award ceremony to follow on the final day.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, and Minister of Sport and Community Development, Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, are both expected to grace the tournament with their presence.