OCHO RIOS, St Ann — The swish of the golf club and the solid whack of the ball had eyes popping at the Sandals Golf and Country Club during last weekend’s Baxter Travel Golf Tournament.

The accomplished golfing drives taking place just a few feet away were not being executed by any of the 80 Canadian travel agents participating in the promotional tournament, but that of 17-year-old Romaine Evans — one of Jamaica’s most promising junior players.

Evans, who won the Boys’ 17 and under category at the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships (CAGC) in the US Virgin Islands in July and became the first Jamaican to win an individual title for many years, was demonstrating his prowess with the club to the Canadian amateurs.

The drive competition was a sidebar event aimed at earning funds for the Sandals Foundation, which runs a grassroots golf programme, of which Evans is a product.

“It’s a Canadian tournament and we hit balls on number 14 for the players and they pay a cost of US$10 per person and it goes toward the Sandals Foundation to help persons like me and other youngsters and other institutions,” Evans explained to the Jamaica Observer.

Evans, who represented Jamaica at the junior level, has very high praises for the Sanda youth academy that nurtured his talent.

“Going through the programme it is really good as I get a lot of exposure to playing tournaments. The academy is getting better and better because we now have 30 juniors training to become players like myself. It’s one of the best things that the Foundation has been doing,” said Evans.

The youngster from Tacky High School in St Mary has his eyes set on the very top of the golfing world and it is no wonder he has Tiger Woods as his idol.

“My dream is to tee up with Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, the world number one and beat them. I actually (want to) represent Jamaica and do my best in every tournament that I play on the PGA tour, which I know I am going to make it in the future,” said a confident Evans.

— Howard Walker