KEITH and Jack Stein emerged overall winners of the Jamaica Golf Association Pairs Tournament held at the Sandals Golf and Country Club on Sunday, which teed off the 2014 local calendar.

The father and son pair carded a 3 under par 68 to also capture the 0 to 12 handicap section on what was a course made challenging due to the inclement weather.

Second prize went to the St Ann pairing of Brian Bailey and hotelier Erval Cunningham, who trailed by one stroke after recording a 69.

The pair events is being used to familiarise the amateur players with the format in an effort to enhance their performance in the Caribbean Amateur Championships

Chris and Tianna Cruz scored a 2 under par 69 to capture the 13 to 28 handicap category which had 16 entries. They had tied with the pairing of Zandray Roye and Mike Baxter, who also recorded a 69, but won with a better score on the back nine. It was Chris Cruz’s first tournament appearance.

The professional pairs category was won by Spencer Edwards and Dave Reid, who shot a 68.

Vikram and Karan Dhiman were the sectional winners for the 29 and over handicap.

In an interview following the event, the winning pair of Keith and Jack Stein praised the efforts on Sandals Resorts in sponsoring a Pair Events. “This wouldn’t have happened without Mr Roper and his team’s foresight and they are doing a tremendous job for local golf,” noted the elder Stein.

The Steins said that their strategy during the tournament was to try and eliminate mistakes, resulting in them recording three birdies and no bogeys.

Tournament organiser Brian Roper, who is also general manager of Sandals Grande Riviera and chairman of the national selection committee, praised the play of the golfers in the challenging conditions.

Roper urged the veteran golfers to become mentors for the juniors in an effort to develop the standard of junior golf in the island since “the juniors are the future of golfing in Jamaica”.