HANOVER, Jamaica — American Patrick Cover won his second Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) Open championships after holding off compatriots Josh Anderson and defending champion Michael Maguire on an exciting final day at the Tryall Club in Hanover on Tuesday.

Cover, who won in 2019, shot a two over under par 70 on the final day to end with a three-day score of 13 under par 203 and took home the first prize of US$20,000 at the 55th staging of the 54-hole championships.

The 26-year-old Cover, who went into the final round with a seven shot lead, won by just four shots over Anderson, who shot seven under par 65 on Tuesday for a three day nine under par 207, while Maguire was third with eight under par 208.

But for a disappointing last two holes where he carded four over par, Maguire who was nine under par at one stage, could have pushed Cover to the finish line.

Cover admitted he was not expecting such a close finish and praised Maguire who had won in a play-off last year and at one stage with less than three holes to go, it appeared the championships could go to another play-off.

“I was not expecting such a close last day,” he told reporters, “[Maguire] played extremely well, he made it really, really hard on me, he was eight under through 11 holes and I wasn’t playing as well as I was the first two days, I was playing OK but he erased that lead really quickly.

Cover started slowly and had dropped two shots in the first four holes but recovered with a birdie on the sixth hole and an eagle on the par six eighth and was much steadier on the back nine with two birdies including a big one on the 17th hole after he had bogied the 15th hole and just missed a birdie on the 16th.

Maguire, who told reporters he came into the round “with nothing to lose and just played some golf” got off to a flyer and shot seven under par for the front nine and was nine under 13th hole and was pushing Cover hard.

He, however, bogied the 10th and had a debacle at 17, hitting his tee shot out of bounds and ended with a triple bogie and a bogie on the final hole.

Anderson improved as the tournament went on, starting with an even par 72 on Sunday and two under par 70 on Monday before matching Cover’s eight under on the first day for the best round of the tournament.

He shot six under 31 on the front nine with four birdies and an eagle, coming on the sixth hole and after two more birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, had two bogies.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Justin Burrowes retained the amateur title after a three-day score of three over par 219, ahead of Zandre Roye’s six over par 222 and William Knibbs’ 10 over par 226.