The Nicklaus team produced a remarkable opening round of 60 to establish an early lead at the 22nd staging of the Sandals US Travel Advisors Golf Tournament at Sandals Upton Estate Golf and Country Club in St Ann.

The team of Megan Sams, James Rotoreau, Alan Granza and Lauren Rotoreau shot 60 to secure a five-stroke cushion over teams Palmer and Watson, who both carded 65, while the Woods and Daly teams are tied for fourth on 68 heading into the second and final day of competition.

The early pace is particularly notable given the competitive nature of an event that has become an important fixture on Sandals’ tourism calendar, bringing some of the leading United States-based travel advisors to Jamaica for golf, networking and destination marketing.

The tournament is designed to give travel advisors a first-hand experience of Sandals’s Jamaican product and the island’s golf offering, allowing them to return home better equipped to sell Jamaica and Sandals and Beaches vacations to their clients.

The tournament also has a charitable component.

The Sandals Foundation received US$1,620 ($256,000) from the opening day of this year’s competition, continuing a tradition of using the tournament to support community initiatives.

Last year’s event raised more than US$2,000 for the Foundation’s Care for Kids programme, which uses golf to provide young people with coaching, while also developing life skills such as discipline, patience, honesty and time management.

The charitable contribution adds another dimension to an event, which has steadily grown into one of Sandals’ signature golf-and-tourism initiatives.

The US Travel Advisors tournament returned from its COVID-19 interruption in 2022, when 21 teams competed at Upton Estate. The event has continued to attract strong fields. In 2024, 18 teams of four travel advisors competed.

Last year’s tournament was won by the quartet of Jeremy Lee, David Anderson, Adam Anderson and David Schutz, who combined for 121 after rounds of 57 and 64. The top three teams earned invitations to the 2026 Global Travel Advisor Golf Tournament in St Lucia.

The individual competition also produced its first winners, with Staci Borup taking the women’s closest-to-the-pin prize on the 13th hole, while Peter Glowacki captured the men’s closest-to-the-pin competition on the second hole.

Saturday’s second day promises to determine whether Nicklaus can protect its five-stroke advantage – or whether one of the chasing teams can produce another low round and turn the tournament on its head.