Trinidad and Tobago’s Benjamin Martin joined American Mac McClear atop the standings at the 57th Jamaica Open Golf Championships after another positive display on Monday’s second day of action at Tryall Golf Club in Hanover.

Both Martin and McClear are tied at six under par 138 heading into Tuesday’s final day, which will determine this year’s Jamaica Open champion.

Martin, who shot 70 on Sunday’s first day, showed great composure to achieve a four under par 68 on day two, a performance that propelled him into contention for top honours.

“It’s always nice to lead, and I hope it can stay that way for the final round. It is key to stick to the routine, take it one shot at a time, and try your best,” Martin said.

Interestingly, Jacob Lehman of Canada also posted a four under par 68 to move fifth overall at two under par.

McClear, who scored a one under par 71 for the second round, acknowledged that he fell well short of his day one performance, a five under par 67.

“I didn’t have my best stuff today. I didn’t do a whole lot right, but I battled hard and am happy to be tied for the lead. I just have to do the same thing as I have been doing the last two days, which has been working so far, so I’ll just keep doing it,” he said.

Another American Ryan Sullivan and Frenchman Pierre Viallaneix are tied for third place on 139. They were just one stroke off the leaders, which makes for an exciting final day.

Justin Burrowes is the best-placed professional Jamaican golfer in seventh at 144, and he expressed pleasure with his performance in the championship so far.

“It feels good, I would say. I know I could do a little better for sure, but I feel like I am in a good spot after two days. I just have to keep on doing what I am doing, stick to the process, and kind of enjoy it. I feel like I have enjoyed it a lot more this year than last year, so that really helps when you are not focused on all of the external stuff, so I just plan to do more of the same tomorrow, hopefully some puts fall in and that’s about it,” Burrowes reasoned.

Meanwhile, Trey Williams, who recently excited the junior ranks, was having his best run at the Jamaica Open. His two-day score of six over par 150 puts him at three shots ahead of his nearest competitor in the amateur section. 

Oshae Haye, the day one joint leader, ended the penultimate round three shots behind Williams on 153, while Sean Morris, the defending champion, occupied the third spot but was just one stroke back on 154 after shooting two over par 74 in the round.

American Andrew Arft led all three days to capture the 56th Jamaica Open Golf Championship at the Tryall Golf Course in Hanover.

Arft posted scores of six under par 66, even par 72, and one under par 71, for a combined score of seven under par 209. He expressed pleasure with the win while giving credit to his caddy Jason Richards for helping him to win the event on his first attempt.

He also pointed out that his late decision to enter the championship was justified, as he pocketed the US$20,000 top prize.

Second place went to Dominic Piccirillo, who was just one shot back on 210. He posted under par scores of 71, 71 and 68 for all three days, while Josh Anderson was relegated to third place on 211 along with Blake Wagoner (72,70, 69).

The top six golfers in the professional category are all Americans.

Jamaica's Sean Morris roared back from second place on the second day to take the amateur section ahead of Oshae Haye. They were joint leaders on the first day.

Morris ended on 17 over par 233 (75, 82, 76), while Haye was two strokes back on 235 (75, 78, 82). Junior player Trey Williams grabbed third place on 245 (78, 81, 82).

Chris Richards of Trinidad & Tobago won the Senior Pro section for the second year running with a total score of two over par 218 (70, 76, 72). Second went to Canada's Kent Fukushima on 222 (74, 78, 70), while Jamaica's Ian Campbell was third on 240 (80, 79, 81).

The final category, the Senior Amateur section went to Canada's Robert Sterling who had a combined score of 244 for the three days. Jamaica's Dr. Mark Newnham and Dr. William Lee were second and third with scores of 245 and 250, respectively.

The day-two leaders in the four categories of the 56th Jamaica Open Golf Championship are from four different countries, making it truly an international tournament. The open is being played at the Tryall Golf Club which is just a short distance from the Grand Palladium Hotel in Hanover, the official hotel and sponsor of the championship.

American pro golfer Andrew Arft maintained his leading position after scoring an even par 72 for a two-day score of six under par 138. His lead was however cut to two from six on the first day by countryman Ryan Sullivan, who posted the lowest score on the second day. 

Sullivan scored a six under par 66 for a combined score of 140.

Jamaica's Oshae Haye took over the lead for the amateur section from Sean Morris. His two-day total of 157 came on the back of 75 and 82, on day one and two respectively. Morris was four strokes back on 153.

Trinidad and Tobago's Chris Richards took his day one lead into day two, for a combined total of 146, after posting two under par 70 on the first day, and four over par 76 on the second day, in the Senior Professional category. Canada's Kent Fukushima was in second place on 152.

The final section, for Senior Amateurs showed Canada's Robert Sterling in the lead. His two-day total of 161 came on the back of 12 over par 84 on day one and five over par 77 on day two. Jamaica's Dr. Mark Newnham was in second place on 164 (88 and 76).

The last group of the day all birdied hole number 18 to the delight of the gallery who appreciated the display. The group members were Andrew Arft, Josh Anderson and Chris Richards.

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.

Former national champion Sean Morris pulled off a commanding victory during Sunday’s final round of the Constant Spring Golf Classic at the Constant Spring Golf Club while being the only player to record an under-par score on the par 70 course.

Morris shot a three-under-par 67 to win by 11 shots over runner-up William Knibbs. Aman Dhiman was further back in third in the Men & Men Senior 0-6 category.

Morris scored 72 on the opening day for a combined score of 139. Over the two rounds, he carded nine birdies, six bogeys and a double-bogey at the 15^th hole on opening day. He was at his best on the front nine on Sunday when he shot three birdies to be three-under.

"I am on my way back with some new equipment so the journey is going to be a hard one,” Morris said afterwards.

“After the tournament I played at Caymanas, I knew there was something in these clubs but I still have some adjustment to do so I am still not as confident as I would like to be with them. The score was 72 on the first day and 67 on the second day which is a total of one-under par. An under par round on any golf course in Jamaica is a commendable score, so I am really happy with it."

He said he was satisfied with the playing conditions.

“The course was in pretty good shape,” he said.

“The greens were a little bit inconsistent but it’s the same course that everybody plays so everybody has to figure it out. I am happy to be the one who came out on top this weekend."

Knibbs, meanwhile, carded a three-over-par 73 one day one and was seven for a 77 on Sunday for a total 150. Dhiman scored 83 and 79 for a combined score of 162.

The top performers in the various categories were as follows:

Men & Men Senior 7-12 - Vikram Dhiman 153 (74, 79), Philip Gooden 164 (80, 84) and Clive Newman 171 (88, 83).

Men and Men Senior 13-24 - Courtney Cephas 175 (81, 94) and Mitchell Watson 215 (108, 107).

Men Super Senior 0-12 - Wayne Chai Chong 156 (73, 83), Radcliff Knibbs 158 (82, 76) and Bert Tomlinson 160 (81, 79).

Men Super Senior 13 -24 - Vivian Monteith 186 (84, 102), Linval Freeman 188 (90, 98) and Howard Lau 192 (97, 95).

Boys 16-17 Noah Azan 165 (84, 81) and Zaniel Knight 178 (93, 85).

Boys 14-15 - Lek Drummond 191 (100, 91).

Girls 14-15 - Samantha Azan (73, 80)