Winning of a different kind was on the minds of a cheerful Digicel team as they completed all 18 holes in the third annual Sandals Golf and Jerk Festival.

The charity event, held at the Sandals Upton Golf Club in St Ann on Saturday, featured the high-spirited quartet involving Digicel Jamaica CEO, Stephen Murad; technical operations executive, Aubyn Ferguson; JMMB Group executive for special projects and Digicel guest player, Paul Gray; and junior golfer, nine-year-old Kavar Davis.

Together, they played in the name of raising funds for providing a security system at the Port Maria Hospital, in addition to supporting promising young players in the Sandals Care for Kids Junior Golf Programme. “Charity won today, and we were very happy to support the hospital and the youth of Jamaica through this amazing cause,” Murad affirmed.

For his part, Gray described the experience as a “wonderful initiative”, especially in the context of having a young golfer teaming up with senior players. He remarked, “It was good to see Kavar’s enthusiasm building as he went through the rounds. Programmes like this are needed as companies like Digicel help to build the sport of golf and encourage the younger generation to get into the game.”

Bright-eyed and enthusiastic throughout, young Davis, who began playing the sport in early 2022, paid keen attention to his more experienced team members, learning valuable tips long the way. Shortly after completing the final hole, Davis commented, “I enjoyed playing with the Digicel team and I learned a lot from them. This will help me a lot with improving my game in the future.”

The event was made possible through the compassionate and generous efforts of corporate and individual donors and participants.

Considered one of Jamaica’s elite golf courses, Sandals Upton — stretched out over a rolling landscape with sweeping views of the sea and mountains with meticulously groomed greens and fairway — is a reasonably challenging course for golfers.