THE inaugural staging of the Jamaica Classic has been added to the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica schedule this year, and will be staged at the Cinnamon Hill in Montego Bay, St James, from June 12-18.

The total prize money to be shared amongst the players will be US$175,000.

President and chief executive officer (CEO) of SportsMax, Oliver McIntosh, and Paul Pennicook, director of tourism made the announcement at its launch held at the Constant Spring Golf Club on Thursday.

McIntosh said it was a historic day for Jamaica and the Caribbean that the country will be one of the stops on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica schedule.

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SportsMax has always contributed significantly to the development of golf in Jamaica, first through our annual Team Match Play Golf Tournament and now it is our distinct pleasure to have the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica on Jamaica’s shores as we continue to expose the immense golfing talent in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said McIntosh.

He said the staging of the Jamaica Classic will be a three-year agreement, though he was hoping it would continue for many more years.

Pennicook, in his address said: “Partnering with PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and event conceptualisers and managers,

SportsMax to host the Jamaica Classic is a significant move for us.

“We offer some of the best golf courses in the Caribbean region, and have hosted some of the top championships. The Jamaica Classic is a good fit for the destination. We have so much more than sea and sun, so much more than food and music, and so much more than track and field — we are the complete destination,” added the director of tourism.

Meanwhile, Jack Warfield, president of the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica said: “Jamaica is a good, ideal country for golf sports tourism. It has the potential to become one of the leading golf courses in the world, and could also stage more tournaments.”

He said the Jamaica Open played in January of this year is being used as a qualifier for the Jamaica Classic and six players will be selected to participate, while the top junior golfers from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica will be selected to participate.

Warfield, who has been involved with golf for the past 40 years, said there will be a field of 144 players from over 25 countries, with majority coming from North America (50) and the rest from Latin America and the Caribbean.

The PGA TOUR Latinoamerica president added that he would like to have one tournament each year in the Caribbean and that he was now looking to host one in Cuba in the future.

“This year, the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica is expected to host at least 19 tournaments in 14 countries,” Warfield said.