WILLIAM Knibbs put in a very good final-day round of the two-day Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) Emancipendence Golf Classic at Caymanas Golf Club in St Catherine, to dethrone Sean Morris and win his second tournament since competition began after the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The recently crowned national amateur golf champion scored two over par 74 for a combined total of 151, this after scoring a double bogey on the final hole. He posted a triple bogey on the same hole on Saturday. His two-day score was seven over par.

He was pleased with the win. “I feel good about winning the tournament. A win is always a nice feeling. The conditions probably were not very much different yesterday [Saturday] compared to today [yesterday]; [it] may have been slightly less windy but overall, I managed the conditions better.”

He now looks forward to the next JGA event and especially the “Jamaican Open is in December from what I gather, so that should be nice. It should be a strong field there.”

Knibbs commented on playing under COVID-19 conditions. “It’s more precautionary measures with regard to touching the flag sticks and stuff like that. Everyone is just being careful with regard to cross-contaminating where possible.”

Dr Mark Newnham in second place was three strokes behind on 154 over the two days, after scoring 76 on the final day and 78 on Saturday.

Dethroned champion Sean Morris, who went into the tournament with high expectations, had it rough going on both days. He shot nine over par 81 for third on day one and scored seven over par 79 on day two for a total score of 160 or 16 over par over for the two days, nine strokes behind tournament winner Knibbs. His day-two scorecard showed 10 bogeys and three birdies.

According to Morris, “I came here to the golf course today about four or five shots back and decided I would look and see what was happening on the front nine for me. I just figured that I was not as sharp and as tournament-ready as I would like to be. Played the first nine holes three over par and really struggled to get the ball close to the hole, and it was like that for the rest of the day. And [I[ figured that if you are a little off and your timing is a little off and your chipping is a little off and your putting is not as defined, you are gonna end up with shots a couple over.

“My worst score today should have been 75; I missed some small, easy putts. I just felt like I was in a participation mode rather than a competitive mode so I just chalked it up to just enjoying the day and finishing the tournament. I was not tournament-sharp this week. I haven’t played a lot since the injured finger so I just gotta wait. My turn will come.”

Fourteen-year-old Aman Dhiman played with the big men from the blue tees for the first time and put in a good showing. He ended in joint fifth position with his father Vikram Dhiman after shooting 87 and 83 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, for a total score of 170.

The Men’s Super Senior 0-12 handicap section went to former President Wayne Chai Chong. He shot 76 on Sunday for a two-day total of 149. He was followed by Robert Chin on 151 (77, 74) and Mike Bradford on 160 (79, 81) to round out the top three.

The Men’s & Men’s Senior 7-12 handicap was topped by Shamar Wilson 167 (82, 85), while Richard White 176 (93, 83) and Barry Eligon 182 (93, 89) copped the second and third spots, respectively.

The golfers in the Men’s & Men’s Senior 13-24 handicap were Aubyn Ferguson 194 (111, 83) and Delroy Anderson 208 (111, 97).

The three ladies who completed the classic were Jennifer Mendes 183 (93, 90), Alison Reid 185 (98, 87), and Diane Hudson 191 (99, 92).

The golf classic was contested under new rules that required physical distancing among the players and as little direct communication as possible. The golfers did not use printed scorecards to record or report their scores. They did so by way of an app that was identified for that purpose.