Golfers depart for 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Champs
JAMAICA’s junior team departed the island yesterday for the 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship in the Dominican Republic.
Competition will tee off on Sunday at the Punta Blanca golf course in Punta Cana. The three-day, fifty-four-hole competition will conclude next Tuesday.
Jamaica will be challenging for its first hold on the championship, having placed second in 2018 at home and 2019 in The Bahamas. There was no championship in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The 13-member team is headlined by Under-18 golfer Rocco Lopez, who won the Bob Slater trophy back in 2018 when he played in the Under-13 category. Trey Williams, Aman Dhiman and Ryan Lue will contest the Under-15, while and Aaron Ghosh and Ramsay Wayner will carry the country’s hopes in the Under-13 category. Michael Lowe and Radino Lobban are the Under-18 golfers.
On the girls’ side, Mattea Issa will be in the Under-15, Samantha Azan and Anoushka Khatri in the Under-13, while Eryn Blakely will contest the Under-18 category. Captain Emily Mayne and Winni Lau complete the team.
Both Wayner and Khatri are new to the team.
Coach Jonathan Newnham is upbeat about Jamaica’s chances to win the championship for the first time.
“The team is well prepared. We have had a couple weeks of nice training and we are looking forward to doing the best we can in the next couple of days and then ultimately to take home the trophy,” Newnham said.
Issa said she is looking forward to some good competition.
“I am looking to put in some good hard work and help the team get as much points as I can, to help us try to get that victory and take home the trophy. These past few years we have been so close so we are hoping towards that and get the trophy,” she shared.
Team Manager Alison Reid also has high expectations.
“I think we have a really good team. We gave strong players in all categories and I think if we figure out the golf course we should be good. We are lucky we have two practice days this year so we have time to look at the course and have the children play balls over and over on the holes that they find challenging to really try and see if we can maximise on our advantage.
The team is sponsored by Sandals Foundation, BCIC, Spanish Court Hotel, KFC and Fleetwood.
