THE 27th annual Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships ended last Thursday at the Sugarcane Course, at the Dorado Beach Resort & Golf Club in Puerto Rico.

The event was conducted by the Caribbean Golf Association and hosted by the Puerto Rico Golf Association. A total of eight teams were in attendance with six fielding full teams. Jamaica was among the countries that did not field a full team.

Puerto Rico emerged the champion country with a best team overall score of 161 points. The Dominican Republic finished in second place with 136 points. Trinidad & Tobago was third (121 points), followed by the Bahamian and Jamaican teams.

In the boys’ 17 and under category, the sole competitor, Austin Swaby, finished eighth with scores of 92, 77 and 79. Ethan Jones (271) and Andrew Azan (276) finished 15th and 16th, respectively, in the boys’ 15 and under.

With scores of 81, 75 and 76, Justin Burrowes ended the Championships in fourth position in the boys’ 10-13 age group, while Jack Stein was tied in sixth with rounds of 87, 80, 88. Burrowes tied for 14th place in the overall championship line-up and is the best overall finisher on the Jamaican team.

Tiana Cruz was the highest placed Jamaican in the individual categories with 80, 86, 83. She finished second in the girls’ 15 and under. Kei Harris was fourth with 85, 83, 85. First-timers Isabelle Desnoes and Evelyn Lai placed seventh and ninth, respectively, in the girls’ 10-13.

Both regional championships are being held back-to-back this year in Puerto Rico. The Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships are set to tee off tomorrow. Jamaica has fielded a full team that is expected to make a strong showing in the competition.