Team Palladium emerged victorious in the Pro-Am tournament ahead of the 57th Jamaica Open Golf Championship at Tryall Golf Club on Saturday, outplaying 19 other teams to claim the top spot. Each team in the competition comprised three amateur golfers paired with one professional, making for an exciting lead-up to the official championship.

Led by pro golfer Scott Milum, Team Palladium, which included amateurs Carlyle Hudson, Diane Hudson, and George Hugh, scored an impressive 51.25 points, finishing exactly two points ahead of the runners-up.

Reflecting on the win and his first experience in Jamaica, Milum shared his enthusiasm for the course and the hospitality at Tryall. “It is an awesome place to play. It’s my first time actually in Jamaica as well, so playing in the Pro-Am, playing the tournament this week I am looking forward to it. The area is beautiful, and the resort here takes really good care of us, getting us to and from the golf course. Everyone we met so far has been phenomenal,” he said.

The second-place team, led by pro golfer Joshua Seales, finished with a score of 53.25 points. Not far behind, the team led by pro Patrick Coles claimed third place with 53.375 points.

Jamaica Fibre Glass Products took the corporate title with a score of 55.25 points, thanks to the combined efforts of team members Metry Seaga, Mike Glieckman, Andre Foote, and Marcus Mohn.

In the “Closest to the Pin” contest, three golfers earned recognition: Benjamin Martin on hole two, Wayne Chai Chong on hole four, and Chris McLean on hole 10.

With the Pro-Am tournament now complete, attention turns to the main event. The three-day 57th Jamaica Open will tee off on Sunday, November 10, at 8:00 a.m., with defending champion Andrew Arft set to begin his title defense at 10:40 a.m.

Clifton Johnson, Diane Hudson, and George Hugh emerged as the top winners at the 7th MCOBA/Lindy Delapenha Golf Tournament, held at the Caymanas Golf and Country Club recently. The tournament, which saw 88 participants, was marked by excellent weather conditions until the afternoon when rain began to fall, just as most players completed their rounds.

Johnson was crowned the overall winner of the tournament, scoring 44 points in the Stableford format. His victory earned him a weekend stay for two at the Half Moon Hotel and a gift basket from Carimed. Hudson, who won the Women's championship with 38 points, received a weekend stay for two at the Spanish Court Hotel and a gift basket from Carimed. Hugh, the Super Senior Men's champion with 41 points, was awarded a weekend stay for two at Jamaica Inn.

In the Men and Senior Men’s category, Damian Chung took first place with 42 points, followed by Calvery Winn with 41 points, and Paul Authurs with 40 points. In the Super Senior Men's category, Khaleel Azan finished as the runner-up, also with 41 points, and Gord Hutchinson came in third with 39 points. Jennifer Mendes was the runner-up in the Women's category with 37 points, while Maggie Lyn finished third with 30 points. Dane Marsh, with 36 points, was the best-performing Munro Old Boy.

Tournament Manager Telroy Morgan, who also participated in the tournament, described this year's event as the most successful yet. "This is the most successful event to date on several fronts inclusive of the tournament being oversubscribed. Unfortunately, we couldn’t accommodate some of the golfers who tried to register on the day, so it seems like next year we’ll need to stage the event over two days to accommodate all the golfers."

Morgan added, "It was a thrill to participate in the tournament for the first time. The possibility of winning the hole-in-one prize was thrilling, but more so, just being out on the course interacting with fellow golfers enjoying the atmosphere was priceless."

Nevin Nish, Qualified Principal Broker at Keller Williams, the main sponsors of the event, expressed pride in the success of the tournament. "Keller Williams Jamaica is very proud of this year’s staging of the Lindy Delapenha Munro College Golf Classics. As title sponsors, it was so heartwarming to see that we were oversubscribed."

Nish continued, "Even to the end of the tournament, and even as it rained, 90% of the golfers stayed right throughout the ceremony. We had a great time. The boys at Munro College will definitely benefit from all the proceeds because 100% of the proceeds go back to those boys at the institutions which are facing hard times. We are delighted, and we congratulate the organizers as well as the Caymanas Golf Club Team for this year's execution, and we look forward to continued support."

Winsome Gibbs, Branch Manager of CG United Insurance Limited, which sponsored the hole-in-one prize, reflected on the event as a day well spent. "It was an honor for our company, CG United, to participate in such a prestigious event. As a people-first organization, we are always happy to support initiatives that contribute to the growth and development of young people in our communities. The experience of watching each golfer take their shot at the hole-in-one was both exciting and nerve-wracking for me. Ultimately it was a bittersweet feeling at the end of the day but with our golfer’s insurance in place, I knew we were covered."

Both golfers and sponsors are already looking forward to next year's event after enjoying a memorable day of golf and camaraderie.

Despite being out of competition for a while, Sean Morris showed no signs of rust, as he outclassed rivals in the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) two-day Independence Golf Classic at the Sandals Golf & Country Club in St. Ann recently.

Morris, who was the only golfer to post an under-par score during the tournament, won by five shots. He shot six over par 77 on the first day but roared back on the second day with a two under par 69 for a total score of four over par 146 in the Men Senior 0-6 section.

"A lot has been happening in my game for the last couple months where I started getting back into the heat of competition. I actually had some new shaft installed in my driver and in my three wood and my irons. This is about the fourth outing since the irons have been fitted, so the win is a significant one in the quest for getting the golf game sharper and more consistent. The game is rounding into shape,” Morris said.

“I went there with a lot of resolve and determination to play the best that I could. My short game was really in good form, and it was the key to the victory. The greens are small at Sandals and require a lot of short game performance, so I am just happy for the win," he added.

The first day leader, Tenny Davis, who shot par 71 then, had a rough second day after scoring 10 over par to end on a combined score of 10 over par 152, which saw him pacing third. Delroy Johnson, who shot 74 and 77, was one stroke ahead on 151 in second place.

On the Ladies side, Diane Hudson posted scores of 90 and 93 for a total score of 41 over par 183 to take the category by two shots, ahead of Judith Slater 185 (93 and 92) and Jennifer Davey 200 (104 and 99). They competed in the 13+ handicap category.

The top three men in the Men Senior 7-12, were Philip Gooden 165 (84 and 81), followed by Raymond Campbell 178 (89 and 89) and Nigel Davey 191 (96 and 95).

In the Men Senior 13-24 handicap category, Mark Samuels 179 (92 and 87) secured a four-stroke win over American Owen McPherson 183 (92 and 87) and Delroy Anderson 199 (99 and 100).

The Men Super Senior 0-12 category was very competitive with two players getting identical scores across both days. Mike Gleichman and Greg Chong both scored 80 and 79 to end on a total score of 159 each. Robert Chin was three strokes behind on 162 (82 and 80) in third place.

Two men teed-off in the Men Super Senior 13-24 category, with Philip de Waal 182 (92 and 90) winning the category by 12 shots ahead of Guyan Arscott 194 (97 and 97).

The master's category saw seven competitors. Dorrel Allen 162 (79 and 83) topped the category by one stroke ahead of Carlyle Hudson 163 (82 and 81), with Philip Wilson 166 (84 and 82) in third.

One junior player in the Boys 14-15 category joined the golfers on the course. He posted scores of 92 and 86 for a total score of 36 over par 178.