The 36th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship (CAJGC) teed off in vibrant fashion on Tuesday evening with a colourful opening ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston. Hosted by the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA), the event welcomed teams from eight countries to compete in the prestigious tournament.

This year’s championship sees participation from teams representing the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, and host Jamaica. The opening ceremony set an enthusiastic tone for the competition, which had been rescheduled from July due to the passing of Hurricane Beryl.

Jodi Munn-Barrow, president of the JGA, extended a warm welcome to all teams and expressed confidence in a successful tournament. "Everything is in place for a very good championship," Munn-Barrow stated, emphasizing the meticulous preparations made despite the earlier postponement.

Eduardo Figueroa, coach of defending champions Puerto Rico, expressed high expectations for his team, indicating their strong preparation and determination to retain the title.

Alison Reid, manager of the Jamaican team, acknowledged some logistical challenges resulting from the rescheduling but remained optimistic. "Some persons who planned to compete when it was scheduled for July are no longer available, and the team will have fewer numbers than previously committed," Reid said. "However, the team will still put on a good show."

Jamaica’s coaching duo, Jonathan Newnhan and Jason Lopez, also shared their confidence in the team’s potential. Newnhan highlighted the team’s thorough preparation, while Lopez pointed out the advantage of competing on the Caymanas Golf Course, where the team has been practicing extensively.

The Jamaican team features talented players including team captain Mattea Issa, Trey Williams, Aman Dhiman, and Ryan Lue, all competing in the Under-18 category. Players will also compete in the Under-15 and Under-13 categories for both boys and girls.

Peter Levey of the major sponsor British Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC) expressed his company’s delight in supporting the event. "We are very happy to be on board for this year’s staging of the CAJGC as it represents a very good opportunity to support the development of youth sport," Levey remarked.

The championship boasts a wide array of sponsors including Restaurants of Jamaica (KFC), Sandals Foundation, WATA, CMK, Jamaica Pegasus, Fleetwood Jamaica Limited, R&A, Island Car Rentals & Tours, Digicel Business, Titlest, and several others, demonstrating strong community and corporate backing for the event.

The competition tees off on Wednesday at 8:00 am with the first of three rounds of 18 holes each, concluding on Friday. The closing ceremony will follow the final round, celebrating the achievements of the young golfers.

A confident Jamaican team left the island on Sunday afternoon, for the Cayman Islands to compete in the 35th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships.

Coaches Jonathan Newnham and Jason Lopez were upbeat about the team's chances to win the championship.

“The team is great. We have representation in every category,” Newnham said of the team that had encouraging practice rounds on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s start to the tournament.

“We have quite a few experienced (players) and most of the team have played there before. We have a few new guys but we have been training with them and welcoming them with open arms so we are looking forward to the challenge.

“Cayman, I have a lot of personal familiarity with it and the course should be a good fit for our players so I am excited by the challenge ahead."

Coach Lopez supported that position saying, "We have a good team so I think that myself and coach Johnny are going to really do everything we can to get them across the finish line this time."

 Team co-captain Mattea Issa was happy to take on the additional responsibility.

"It feels good to be co-captain (and) all the responsibilities that come with it and I am going to help the team as much as I can to put our best foot forward to try and get the best results possible,” she said.

“As far as competing in the Under 18 age group - the big guns now, being 16, I still have two more years in this age group so I am just hoping to do my best and not think about expectations or pressure and just compete as calmly as possible."

Samantha Azan is one of two age-group defending champions having won the U15 Girls trophy and the Kenneth Francis Trophy last year – the first time ever for a Jamaican player.

"This is my last year in this category. It was definitely a struggle but I pushed through to the very last hole last time. I have been training really hard with my coaches in both Florida and Jamaica so I am pretty confident but then again the course conditions are very different compared to what I am used to, so I am going to do my best.”

Meanwhile, Davin Hogan, the only new member of team says he is looking forward to the experience.

 “I have never done this before and it'll be new for me and hopefully it will be a good experience for everybody."

 The Jamaicans are set to take on players from The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and host country, the Cayman Islands.

Jamaica seems on course to successfully defend its title at the 2022 Caribbean Golf Association's (CGA) Four-Ball Championship in Florida after improving on its day-one standing at the end of day two.