SEAN Morris and Romario Anglin came out as gross score winners at the Couples Resorts Jamaica 15th Annual Negril Charity Golf Tournament, played on Sunday on the Negril Hills Golf Club where over $1.5 million was raised for several charities in the region.

Close to 40 golfers competed at the tournament which was returning to the par 72 course after a brief break, with Morris — who is preparing for his amateur title defence at the Jamaica Open and an appearance at the Florida State championships — partnering with Anglin, returning to his sentimental golfing home, and combining for a seven under par 65 and securing top honours in the two-man scramble format.

Radino Lobban, who also won the putting contest, and Giovanni Blaire (71) took the runner-up spot in gross scoring.

“Couples charity golf is always something I want to have on my calendar every year. I have won a lot at this tournament so it is a no-brainer. Also, Negril Hills is also my birthplace in golf — my ’navel string’ was cut here. I grew up learning the game here at Negril Hills. Owen Sinclair, the owner of Negril Hills, was very close to my old man [father] and he was very generous in accommodating me when I got here to play golf. And the caddies here, the pros here, and the guys who work here were the ones who actually bred me in the game, so coming back here to play is always on my calendar because I want to come. I want to win, of course, but I also just want to come and support,” Morris told the Jamaica Observer.

In net scoring, Paul Chin and Stainton Baker (66.25) came out on top, ahead of Herbert Thompson and Andrew Spencer (71.25) in second place, and Phillip Wilson and Hugh Logan (71.5) back in third.

CEO at Couples Resorts, Wayne Williams was thrilled with the continued success of the tournament and underlined its importance in providing much-needed support for charities in the area.

“We are very happy with how things have progressed. We had a little hiccup putting the event together but it has come together nicely. The sponsors came on board — we had enough sponsorship — and the players turned out in enough numbers that we exceeded the amount we raised last time out,” said Williams.

“We did $1.5 million this year, and we would have wanted to do a little better because we do have some work that we want to carry out with some of the local schools.

“We are in Westmoreland, Hanover — which tends to be very rural. There are a lot of schools that are very rural in the space and so we have always taken it as our responsibility to go deep in these rural communities and assist as best as we can,” said Williams. “These are communities from which we pull our team members, these are the communities from which we get some of our supply, these are the communities that basically we take from in order to make the business successful, so we have always given back to these communities.”

Support is expected to be given to Montego Bay Animal Haven, with Williams adding that projects at Grange Hill Primary as well as Green Island Primary are still being considered at this point.