The 2017 edition of the 16th Annual Couples Resorts Ocho Rios Charity Golf Tournament has proven successful yet again with approximately J$1.6 million being raised, and the resorts’ CEO Glenn Lawrence could not have been happier under the circumstances.

“I’m very pleased,” he beamed shortly after the presentation ceremony at the Sandals Golf and Country Club on Sunday evening.

“We thought we might have got a few more [people] because last year I think we had almost 100 participants, but we weren’t competing with Rebel Salute and the end of the Jamaica Open (Golf Tournament) which ended three days yesterday (Saturday) and quite a few of the people who would normally come here, they played [at the Jamaica Open] and they must have been tired, so that being said we are happy that we had a full field (72) and possibly a little bit more, so we can’t complain,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“Our corporate sponsors, and I have to give credit to Digicel Business, they have been with us for a very long time, and our business partners have supported us for many of those years and they have contributed in cash and kind. We’ve accepted their donations and used it on their behalf to the benefit of the charities,” Lawrence added.

With 98 participants last year, the event netted a record J$1.9 million, and well over J$26 million over the past 16 years, and this year the three charities to benefit are the Three Hill Primary School, the Hamilton Mountain Basic School, and The Animal House.

On the golf course the participants performed admirably with Zandrae Royle and Oshane Haye emerging victorious with a gross score of 61 and winning for themselves three nights in a suite at a Couples resort.

John Dunbar and Gilford Wilmott were the first-placed winners in net score with 62 and they also won for themselves three nights in a suite at a Couples resort.

The second place gross score winners with 68 were Murine Blake and Vernal Campbell, while the second-place net score winners were Mike Evans and Conrad Campbell with 63.5. Both sets of winners were awarded two nights in a suite at a Couples resort.

Romaine Evans and Edgar Wiggins with a 63.5 score were the third-placed winners and they were awarded two nights in a gardenview room at a Couples resort.

Easton Williams and Norris Riley with 64.25 points were fourth and they won Samsung Galaxy J3 cellular phones donated by Digicel, while Diane Hudson and Kia Harris, with a 64.5 score, were fifth and they won a day pass and spa treatment.

Oshane Haye on hole number four; Vincent Hudson on hole number seven; Easton Williams on hole number 11; Novlette Maestrini on hole number 13, and Yvonne Brown on hole number 15 won the closest to the pin contests, with each being awarded prizes from Dolphin Cove, Bijoux and Lyric Villa.

The putting contest was won by Michelle Gabay, who was awarded a gift basket donated by CPJ.

Miguel Arthurs, general manager of the Sandals Golf and Country Club, was left a satisfied man at day’s end, particularly with the immaculate condition of the course after a rainy period.

He said he was “tremendously” impressed with the scores on the day and proceeded to commend the ground staff for a job well done. He also thanked the participants and the corporate entities for investing in the future of Jamaica and in impacting generations to come.

Lawrence was also impressed with the scores on the day, and he too singled out Digicel Business for its continued support for 14 of the 16 years of the tourney.

And the Couples Resorts CEO never gets tired of putting the requisite energy into preparing for this charitable event. “When you visit the schools, when you visit even some of the medical places you have contributed to, when you go to The Animal House, when you go to the Basic School and you see the changes that you have been able to make you can’t help but to pen down next year, and I think some of our guests have actually been to these schools and hospitals and knowing the conditions that some of them are in, right now we are in the construction of a canteen for the kids, they don’t have a canteen at the school, so it is very easy once you get close to that,” he ended.

The Couples Resorts Ocho Rios Charity Golf Tournament is the brainchild of repeat guests, Americans Gene and Jane Saks from Florida, and Alan and Josie Kline from Arizona.

— Ian Burnett