The Jamaican team that represented the island at the 67th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship at the Iberostar Golf Course in Bavaro, Dominican Republic returned to the island Saturday night with runner-up trophies in the ladies category and the country category while the men came third in their category. Dr. Mark Newnham, vice president of the Jamaica Golf Association, welcomed the team on their arrival.
The ladies were runners-up for the second consecutive year and brought back the runner-up George Teale trophy. The four members of the ladies team were Emily Mayne, Mattea Issa and new comers Kierra Williams and Kingston Burke.
Emily Mayne was the team's top performer. She was tied for second with scores of even par 72, one under par 71 and five over par 77 for a three-day total of four over par 220.
Kierra Williams ended in fourth place with scores of 72, 71 and 75 for a total score of 221 or just one shot behind second place Mayne.
Mattea Issa tied for 7th place with a total score of 227 on the back of 73, 73 and 81 on the final day of the championship.
The fourth player, Kingston Burke totaled 248 for 15th place.
The overall ladies winner was Arabella Lopez of Puerto Rico. She topped the leaderboard on all three days with a combined score eight under 208.
Perennial winner Puerto Rico won all three trophies on offer – the George Teale trophy, the Arhtur Ziadie or country trophy and the Hoerman Cup for the men.
Jamaica took home the runner-up country trophy on the back of the whole team's performance.
The men performed creditably to close the championship in third place after placing eighth in 2023. The male members of the team are Rocco Lopez, Zandre Roye, Oshae Haye, Ryan Lue, Jack Stein and Aman Dhiman.
Rocco Lopez was the best placed player after closing the championship tied for fifth place after scoring one under par 215.
Former national champion Haye was further back in 12th place with a combined total of 222.
The youngest male player on tour was Ryan Lue and he occupied the 20th spot with a total score of 228.
Jack Stein and Aman Dhiman were tied for 25th place with a three day total of 232 each.
The sixth and final player, and current national champion Zandre Roye had a rough championship after posting a combined score of 241.
Mayne, Lopez, Issa, Lue and Dr. Newnham who met the team at the airport were pleased with the team’s performance as well as the individual performances while looking forward to more opportunities for improvement in future championships.
The Jamaican ladies team finished the first day of the 67th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship atop the leaderboard, driven by stellar performances from Kierra Williams and Emily Mayne. Both golfers shot an even par 72, securing Jamaica's leading position as they vie for the George Teale Trophy.
Puerto Rico trailed closely with a plus one score, while the Dominican Republic held third place with a plus 13 score.
On the men's side, the Jamaican team, competing for the Hoerman Cup, ended the day in third place with a plus eight score. Contributions came from Oshae Haye (71), Rocco Lopez (72), Ryan Lue (76), and Aman Dhiman (77). Puerto Rico led the men's team section with a minus three score, followed by the Dominican Republic in second place with a plus one score.
The championship, featuring nine teams, is being contested at the Iberostar Golf Course in Bavaro, Dominican Republic.
Individually, Jamaica's ladies occupied three of the top five spots. Puerto Rico's Arabella Lopez led with an impressive six under par 66, six strokes ahead of her closest rivals. Tied for second place were Kierra Williams and Emily Mayne, each posting an even par 72. Mattea Issa followed closely in fourth place with a one over par 73. Holly McClean of the Cayman Islands was in fifth place with a three over par 75, while Jamaica's newcomer Kingston Burke was joint 16th with a 13 over par 85.
Among the Jamaican men, former national champion Oshae Haye was the best placed, ending day one in joint fourth place with a one under par 71. The leaders in the men's individual section were Rodrigo Huerta of the Dominican Republic and Marc Alvero of Puerto Rico, both shooting three under par 69. Juan Cayro Delgado of the Dominican Republic was in third place with a two under par 70.
Other Jamaican men's scores included Rocco Lopez (even par 72), Ryan Lue (four over par 76), Aman Dhiman (five over par 77), Jack Stein (seven over par 79), and national champion Zandre Roye (nine over par 81).
The golfers look forward to the second round of competition, set to commence at 8:00 am on Thursday at the same venue in the Dominican Republic.
A very youthful Jamaican team has settled and hit the ground running in the Dominican Republic as they fine-tune their strokes ahead of the three-day Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship.
The tournament is scheduled for July 31 to August 2 at the Iberostar Golf Course in Bavaro.
Team manager Sebert Walker said that the team, which travelled to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean island on Sunday, had their first of two practice sessions on Monday and that it went well.
He explained that the second practice on Tuesday, will include two new players—Kingston Burke and Kierra Williams—who travelled from the United States to meet up with the team on location.
The full team of male and female players is composed of Aman Dhiman, Oshae Haye, Rocco Lopez, Ryan Lue, Zandre Roye, Jack Stein, Kingston Burke, Mattea Issa, Emily Mayne, and Kierra Williams.
Meanwhile, Jodi Munn-Barrow, president of the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA), has high expectations for the team.
“The Jamaica Golf Association is very pleased with the team that will be representing Jamaica at the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship. It is quite an historic moment as all the team members are under the age of thirty, including some of our juniors who will be representing us at the junior championship the following week in Kingston,” Munn-Barrow said.
“We know that the members will be playing their hardest. They had an extra practice round today (Monday), and they are really eager and are looking forward to the start of the event. We wish them all the best, and we know that they will make Jamaica proud,” she added.
Alison Reid has renewed calls for more females to consider participating in golf to help drive growth and, by extension, prolong Jamaica’s success in the sport on the regional stage.
Reid’s comments follow another credible showing by the country’s young prospects at the just-concluded 35th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships, where they secure two individual trophies courtesy of Emily Mayne and Rocco Lopez.
The Jamaican team which placed third overall with 116 points behind Puerto Rico (161 points), who took the coveted Hank James trophy, while Dominican Republic was second on 131 points.
Reid, who served as manager for the team stressed the need to increase the number of girls who play the sport going forward.
“Even though we are losing two players, we will still have a good 18 and under Boys section. The girls are where we are weak. It's hard to find girls and so that's where we really have to put our emphasis in,” Reid said.
Mayne, who was the team’s captain, brought home the second-place trophy in the 18 and under girls. She scored 14 over par 227 to end the tournament 15 shots behind group winner Holly McLean (212) of host country Cayman Islands.
Jamaica's other representative in the category, Mattea Issa, ended sixth, after posting 28 over par 241. Jamaica placed second in the group.
Mayne expressed pride at the team’s performance, especially due to the tough conditions they had to endure.
“The conditions we faced, it was very, very windy and of course we are used to some wind in Jamaica, but we really had to adapt to the wind. The First day was not so bad, but the second day and the third the wind really did pick up, so we had the whole 18 holes for both days in the wind,” Mayne explained.
"I went into the tournament trying not to put too much pressure on myself as I won last year but of course in the back of your head you are always going to put a bit of pressure on yourself. The girl, who won Holly, it was her home course, but I just try to stick to my game plan. The first day I had a rough start, probably just due to some nerves but then I brought it back on the second day and the last day,” she added.
Lopez, who entered the final day joint third with Aman Dhiman, finished with a one under par 70, to end three over par 216 in third place in the 18 and under boys’ section. He was one of just three players to post under par score during the championship.
Puerto Rico’s Kelvin Hernandez finished tops with a 10 under par 203, while Dhiman (227) and Ryan Lue (230), collected enough points to bag third place in the group.
“The scores weren't too bad, but I felt like I could have played a lot better. I felt like I wasn't hitting the ball that great. I like the greens, but I couldn't make puts and I didn't make all birdies, but I managed to scramble very well and that kept me around par each day,” said Lopez.
Meanwhile, the two 11-13 boys, Kemari Morris and Shasa Redlefsen were responsible for the third place in the group. Puerto Rico was the group winner.
The girls' 11-13 representatives, Alessandra Coe contributed the team's fourth place in the group won by The Bahamas, while the 15 & under girls, Samantha Azan and Anoushka Katri, also gave points to the group's fourth place finish. Puerto Rico won the category.
Aaron Ghosh and Davin Hogan closed the championship in sixth place in the 15 & under boys’ category, also won by Puerto Rico.
The opening round of the 2022 Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships unfolded in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday with all of the expected competitiveness and somewhat unexpected weather conditions, leaving both the team and Individual leaderboards intriguingly poised.
Players from nine CGA member countries battled both high winds and - during the closing sessions - heavy downpours in an eventful first day.
Puerto Rico and Cayman are tied for the lead in the men's Hoerman Cup Team standings, with the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago rounding out the top five.
In the Ladies' Team competition for the George Teale trophy, Jamaica sat atop the leaderboard, by a two-stroke margin over Puerto Rico, followed by the Dominican Republic, Barbados and the Bahamas respectively.
Vying for individual honours, Gustavo Rangel from Puerto Rico is the individual leader with 2 under par for 70.
The Cayman Islands' Justin Hastings and the Dominican Republic's Rhadames Peña carded an identical 71 (1 under) to lead the chasing pack comprising Payten Wight of the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico's Kelvin Hernandez.
Caymanian Holly McLean, with 75, was a stroke ahead of Puerto Rico's Darianys Guzman in a similarly close contest for the women's individual honors. Also in the mix are the Dominican Republic's Yae Yun Kim, with 77, and the "two Emilys" - Mayne of Jamaica and Odwin of Barbados, who carded identical 78s.
The Arthur Ziadie trophy for the best overall team also remains virtually anyone's game, with Puerto Rico in the lead at 14 points and Jamaica 2 points behind followed by Dominican Republic with 10 points
Emily Mayne enjoyed an excellent second day at the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships in the United States of America on Thursday.
Maybe carded a three-under-par 69 to move from 40th into a tie for eighth place and just two shots off the lead. The Jamaican teen has an overall score of 141 after shooting a 72 in the opening round.
Kelli Ann Strand of the USA was atop the leaderboard with scores of 71 and 68 for an overall score of 139.
Aman Dhiman is the other Jamaican at the championships. He is also competing in the 15-18 age group. He scored nine over par 81 and is tied at 158th at the end of the second round with a total score of 160.
Japan’s Taisha Motto leads with an overall score of 10 under par 134 (68, 66) after two rounds.
The championship, held at the Torrey Pines - South Golf Course in California, ends on Friday.
Both golfers have had a busy season. Recently, they competed at the 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships in Puerto Rico where Mayne topped the Under 18 age group - a first for any Jamaican female golfer.
As soon as they return from the current championships they will head off to the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships (for seniors) in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Several members of Jamaica’s history-making team to the 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship in Puerto Rico returned to the island with their trophies on Friday night.
Samantha Azan and Emily Mayne closed the championship on top of their respective age groups but Jamaica fell short of the team title at the 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships that ended on Thursday.
Azan won the 15 & Under category while Mayne was tied for first place in the 18 & Under categories.
Azan led on day one, dropped to third on day two but bounced back to win outright on the final day by just one stroke ahead of the day-two leader Mattea Issa. Issa was tied for second with Victoria Rivera and Elvin Krishny of Puerto Rico.
Azsan shot a six over par 78 for a three-day total of 231 while Issa posted her worst score of the competition of nine over par 81 to end on 232.
Mayne enjoyed a good tournament, moving from third on day one to first on day two. Her final day score of 80 saw her end with a three-day total of 11 over par 224, tied with Emily Odwin of Barbados. Meanwhile, Eryn Blakely maintained her second-day position of seventh place after she scored 80 to close the championship on 251.
Alessandra Coe was Jamaica's lone female in the 13 & Under category. She finished in eighth place with scores of 103, 99 and 106 for a combined total of 308. Ava Saavedra of Puerto Rico won the category after posting an overall score of 237.
The results of the female golfers are significant as it is the first time any female was winning any of the age group categories. The coaches, Jason Lopez and Jonathan Newnham, who won an age group category as a player, as well as team manager Alison Reid, were extremely proud of their performances.
Ryan Lue was the best-placed Jamaican male. He competed in the 15 & Under category and closed the championship with a score of 239, good for fourth place.
Aaron Gosh scored 167 for 10th place while Lek Drummond was tied for 14th place with Camdyn Forbes of the Bahamas on 275.
The 15 & Under category winner was Danny Lyne of the Cayman Islands after scoring 76 on the final day with a combined total of 13 over par 236.
Rocco Lopez ended eighth in the 18 & Under category. He scored 234 over the three days. Trey Williams came 10th with 241 while Aman Dhiman was tied for 14th on 244. Alexander Dupuch of the Bahamas posted the same three-day total.
The 18 & Under category went to Kelvin Hernandez of Puerto Rico with scores of 73, 68 and 69 for a combined total of three under par 210.
The final male age group of 13 & Under went to Evan Pena of Puerto Rico who led on all three days. He posted scores of 73, 74, and 81 for a combined total of 15 over par 228. The two Jamaicans - Kemari Morris 269 and Shasa Fedlefsen 272 were eighth and ninth respectively.
Emily Mayne and Mattea Issa topped their respective age groups as Jamaica enjoyed a good day two at the 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship being staged in Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
Most of the members of the Jamaican team left the island Saturday morning for Palmas Del Mar in Puerto Rico for the 34th staging of the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships. The players will team up with Eryn Blakely in Puerto Rico and have at least one practice round ahead of Tuesday's start of the competition.
The team is said to be in high spirits, confident of representing the country well at the championships. Team coaches, Jonathan Newnham and Jason Lopez, as well as the most experienced male and female players Rocco Lopez and Emily Mayne, respectively, were upbeat about Jamaica's chances this time around having come close in 2018 and 2019 when they finished in second place on each occasion.
“We are ready to go and I am excited. We have done our prep. We are going there to make sure we understand the course properly and then go out there and execute as best as possible so I am excited for the journey ahead and look forward to a great week," said Dr Newnham.
Coach Lopez said everyone prepared well having been assessed on various golf courses across the island including Caymanas, Cinnamon Hill, Constant Spring, Half Moon, Sandals and Tryall.
"We are well prepared. We had a great training series. Between myself, Jonny and Alison (team manager) we were able to do a comprehensive review of all the kids’ games, testing on different golf courses (and) different facilities. Of course, they all have their own personal coaches and I think they are well prepared for this event," said Lopez.
“The mental preparation will start now, to try and prepare them to perform without putting too much pressure on themselves. That will be the job going forward."
The other team members on the boys’ side are 18 & Under - Aman Dhiman and Trey Williams; 15 & Under - Lek Drummond, Aaron Ghosh and Ryan Lue and 11-13 - Kemari Morris and Shasa Redlefsen; while the girls are 15 & Under - Samantha Azan and Mattea Issa, and 11-13 - Alessandra Coe who is making her first trip as a national representative.
Justin Burrowes, Sebert Walker Jr., Ryan Lue and William Knibbs form part of a 12-member Jamaica team named for the 65th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships in the Turks & Caicos Islands from August 1 to 6.
Rocco Lopez and Owen Samuda have also been named to the team for which Aman Dhiman is the reserve player. Lue, at 15 years, is making his debut as the youngest male player while Samuda is 52.
Meanwhile, Emily Mayne, Mattea Issa, Cameron March and Winni Lau comprise the female team with Eryn Blakely named as the reserve player. Issa at 15 years is the youngest female player on the team but has experience under her belt as this is her second time on the senior team.
The team was named after a rigorous four-day national senior trials played at the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course on the first two days and Half Moon Golf Course on the final two days. Sebert Walker Jr. topped the leaderboard for the first three days and was ahead by 11 shots at the end of day two but faltered badly and gave up the advantage to Justin Burrowes who won by a stroke on the final play.
Emily Mayne shared the lead between herself and Jodi Munn-Barrow over the four days but ended up winning by eight strokes and ending the trials on 309.
Former player Dr. Mark Newnham will serve as team manager.
The ladies will also be trying to take their first hold of the George Teale Trophy. Last year, while not fielding a full-strength team, ended in fourth place.
Sebert Walker Jr. dropped six shots by the end of the third day of the Jamaica Golf Association's National Senior Trials at the Half Moon Golf Course in St. James but still enjoys a sizeable buffer over the rest of the field.
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.
Justin Burrowes and William Knibbs both began the final day of the Jamaica Golf Association's (JGA) National Senior Trials at Caymanas Golf Club on Sunday on even par 216 but it was Burrowes, who took home the trophy at the end.
The leaderboard showed four birdies and a bogey on the front-nine for three under par 33. On the back-nine, he shot a birdie, two bogeys and one double bogey for a three-over-par 39, for an even-par 72.
His combined score of even-par 288 was three strokes ahead of runner-up Knibbs.
“Today (Sunday) was pretty good. I shot even par. I was three-under on the front-nine and three over on the back-nine. I would say that I felt like I had my best game today. I felt like I struck it the best,” he said.
“I felt like I was swinging the best today out of all the four days. I didn't quite score like I wanted to. I didn't quite finish like I wanted to but a win is a win and I am very grateful for it and I am thankful to my entire team around me for all the support. It's just always an amazing feeling when you can execute and come out on top and I am just very grateful for that."
Knibbs was on target up to hole number 15 but had a double bogey on 16 and a bogey on 18 for a three-over par 75 for a total score of 291.
"My ball-striking wasn't where I wanted it to be over the course of this weekend so the last two rounds (I) missed a lot of greens with irons and short clubs which is usually the strength of my game but I just made a bad swing on 16, lost a ball, made double - just one of those things but I take a lot of positives from the past week because my ultimate goal was to break par for the four rounds and I came really close to it so I know that if I tighten up on a few things, then I should be good for the Caribbean Championships," he said.
Dr Mark Newnham with a score of 301 (78, 74, 75, 74) was third, while junior golfer, 16-year-old Rocco Lopez, who improved his position after every round, ended in fourth after the final round of 76 for an overall score of 304.
Shamar Wilson was one stroke back on 305 (77,80, 74, 74) in fifth.
Junior golfer, Emily Mayne copped the Ladies category, which she led from round one.
She posted her best round of five over par 77 in the final round for a total score of 316 (80, 79, 80, 77) to win by 32 strokes ahead of Mattea Issa who ended on 358. Many-time national champion Jodi Munn-Barrow, who was in second place, did not compete on the final day.
“Today (Sunday) was a good day. I had a very good start which was different from the first two days which I had a bad start. I kept it consistent,” she said.
“Obviously, I had two bad holes, which is what resulted in me shooting five over. However, the pin positions on a lot of the greens were very difficult and you had to know your way on the greens which I did not succeed in on the holes which I finished badly on, however, I am proud of myself for my finish today."
The golfers were competing for places on team Jamaican for the Hoerman Cup for men and the George Teale Trophy for women in the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship which is tentatively set for Puerto Rico August 8-13.
The top three golfers in the various categories in the two-day (Saturday/Sunday) Caymanas Golf Classic which ran concurrently with the national trails were:
Men & Men Senior 0-6: Justin Burrowes - 140, William Knibbs - 145 and Dr Mark Newnham - 149.
Men & Men Senior 7-12: Dave Cameron - 171, Gregory Mayne - 172 and Ryan Lue - 173.
Men & Men Senior 13-24: Philip Gooden - 165, Delroy Anderson - 191 and Richard Wayner - 200.
Men Super Senior 0-12: Robert Chin - 156, Mike Boyd - 157 and Wayne Chai Chong - 160.
Men Super Senior 13.24: George Wright 182, Fred Sutherland - 191 and Howard McKenzie - 201
Ladies 0-12: Emily Mayne -157, Michele McCreath 173 and Winni Lau 174.
Junior Boys 11-13: Aarron Ghosh - 165, Ramsay Wayner 177 and Kemari Morris 193.
Junior Girls 11-13: Khatri Anoushka 188.
William Knibbs and Emily Mayne are the early leaders after Thursday’s opening day of the Jamaica Golf Association's (JGA) National Senior Trials at the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course in St. James and the Caymanas Golf Club in St. Catherine.
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