HANOVER, Jamaica —  The 57th Jamaica Golf Association Open presented by Aqua Bay Resort and Vybwear is headed for another close finish after four players were separated by one shot at the end of Monday’s second and penultimate round of the 54-hole championships.

Despite difficult playing conditions caused by heavy rains just before the start of the event, but mercifully none of the strong winds the course is well known for, Monday’s second round produced outstanding golf with first round leader Mac McClear of the United States and Trinidadian Benjamin Martin tied on six under par 138 scores.

American Mac McClear plays out of the sand trap on the 16th hole on Sunday’s opening round of the 57th JGA Open presented by Aqua Bay Resort and Vybwear at Tryall Club in Sandy Bay, Hanover. He is tied in the lead on six under par 138 going into Tuesday’s final round. (Photo: Paul Reid)

Ryan Sullivan of the USA and Pierrs Viallaneix of France are not far off, a shot back on five under par 139; Canada’s Jacob Lehman is in fifth position on two under par 142, a shot ahead of American Andrew Storm’s one under par 143.

Jamaican Justin Burrowes is well- placed in seventh place on even par 144, following up his one under par 71 on Sunday with a one over par 73 yesterday.

Both McClear, who led by a shot after Sunday’s opening round, and Martin, who was bothered by a stomach bug on Sunday and was tied for fifth, said they had no plans to change anything going into Tuesday’s crucial final round.

McClear, the former University of Iowa standout who is in his first year as a professional golfer, managed a one under par 71 score on Monday after his brilliant five under par 67 on Sunday, said he was not able to replicate his first round. “I didn’t have my best stuff today, I didn’t do a whole lot right but I battled hard and happy to be tied for the lead,” he stated.

He went on to say, “I didn’t hit as good, didn’t putt it as good, yesterday I did mostly everything well, and today I didn’t feel like I had anything going good, but hung in there well.”

For the final round he said, “I know tomorrow I’ll be better, I will just do the same things as I’ve been doing last two days, it’s been working so far, so I’ll just keep doing it.”

Martin whose four under par 68 was tied for the best on Monday with Lehman, said he was looking forward to still be at the top of the leader board on Tuesday evening. “Yeah, it’s always nice to lead, hopefully it finishes that way tomorrow,” he stressed.

While he said there was no way to guarantee anything, “you just gotta stick to what you know in your routines and hit one shot at a time and try your best, it’s all up to Papa God.”

While praising the staff at Tryall for the work they have done to get the course in good condition for the tournament, Martin said while the first nine was “more score-able you can, you can kinda make your scores on the front and the back nine but the last six par fours are tough coming home, so you’re kind of holding on for the last, last six holes. But there’s no favourites, I enjoyed it, the challenge of all of it.”

— Paul Reid