Golf organisers excited at prospects of Pro-Am tourney
ROSE HALL, St James — The organisers of the eighth renewal of the Jamaica Invitational Pro-Am golf tournament, Annie’s Revenge, are excited about this year’s staging that has been extended by one day, making it a five-day event, and the addition of a third course.
The addition of Appleton Estates as presenting sponsor for “at least three years” has seen the addition of the Appleton Shoot-Out and another US$3,500 in prize money for the event set to be staged in Rose Hall, St James, November 20-24.
At Wednesday’s launch at Iberostar hotel in Rose Hall, tournament director Tom Jaronski of Golf Connection was upbeat about the event that he said has in the past attracted golfers from the United States, Canada, other parts of the Caribbean, and even some from Europe.
“In the past we have averaged 30 to 40 teams, which is about 225-plus players,” he told the Sunday Observer, going on to explain that each team will have one professional and three amateurs for the three-day event to be played at the White Witch and Cinnamon Hill courses on November 21-23.
“The event is marketed to golf clubs, in the United States and Canada mainly to the country clubs so this is high-yield tourism for Jamaica,” Jaronski explained.
The Appleton Shoot-Out will be held on the final day at Half Moon and will offer US$3,500 for the professionals, which will be in addition to the US$30,000 that is on offer for the first three days.
Additionally, Tanisa Samuel, western operations and marketing manager for Appleton, announced that a bottle of 50-year-old Appleton Rum valued at US$5,000 was on offer for the first hole-in-one at the shoot-out.
She told the launch that only 800 bottles of the rum that has been in storage since 1962, when Jamaica gained independence from Great Britain, were available on the open market.
Samuel said her company, which came on board last year as an associate sponsor, was happy to have increased their involvement to a “minimum of three years as presenting sponsor”.
Rosie Johnson, manager of the Montego Bay Jamaica Tourist Board office, also gave her organisation’s endorsement of the event saying it will add to Jama”.
