THE Jamaica Golf Association announced a young team to represent the country at the 65th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships in the Turks & Caicos Islands from August 1-6.

A twelve-member team of seven men and five females, inclusive of two reserve players, were named. Eleven of the players are below thirty, with the youngest being 15 and the oldest 52.

The male players are Justin Burrowes, Sebert Walker Jr, Ryan Lue, William Knibbs, Rocco Lopez and Owen Samuda. Aman Dhiman is the reserve player. Debutant Lue is the youngest on the male team at 15 years while many-time representative Samuda is 52.

The female players are Emily Mayne, Mattea Issa, Cameron March and Winni Lau, while Eryn Blakely was named as the reserve player. Issa at fifteen years is the youngest female player on the team but has experience under her belt as this is her second time on the senior team. The newcomers to the team are March, who is making her first Jamaican team, while Lau is getting her first senior team call-up.

The team was named after a rigorous, four-day national senior trials which was played at the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course on the first two days, and at Half Moon Golf Course on the final two days. Sebert Walker Jr topped the leaderboard for the first three days and was ahead by eleven shots at the end of day two but faltered along the way, as he gave up the advantage to Justin Burrowes who won by one stroke on the final play when he carded a birdie on the 18th hole to end the trials on one under par 287.

Emily Mayne shared the lead between herself and Jodi Munn-Barrow over the four days but ended up winning by eight strokes, ending the trials on 309.

Dr Mark Newnham was a competitor on the team last year but will serve as team manager this time.

Perennial female representative Jodi Munn-Barrow, who is the president of the Jamaica Golf Association and secretary of the Caribbean Golf Association, will travel with the team to the championship but will have administrative duties to do this time.

Last year the men came back from the Caribbean Championship feeling good after achieving their best position when they placed second. This time around they will be gunning for the top spot to take home the Hoerman Cup for the first time.

The ladies will also be trying to secure their first hold on the George Teale Trophy. Last year they ended in fourth place, but they did not have a full team then.

The leadership of the Jamaica Golf Association expects the team to do well this year because even though the team is young, they all have competition experience and have been improving in their recent tournaments.