Chrystal Gayle for SANTA Charity Tournament
CHRYSTAL Gayle, who is currently attending the University of Technology (Utech) on a golf scholarship, is slated to play in this weekend’s SANTA Charity Golf Tournament at the Constant Spring Golf Club.
“I haven’t travelled much, I come from a poor family, but through golf I’ve been able to experience a wide range of people and places and make connections for future employment purposes. My aim is to give back by supporting the SANTA Charity Golf Tournament,” Gayle, who started playing golf at age 14, said.
“My parents wanted me and my siblings out of the house for summer. My siblings were sent to a church camp, but I was given the option to attend the summer golf programme at Breezes Hotel, now Jewel,” the young golfer said.
At summer programme participants were taught basic golf and at the end a team was selected for a tournament. Though she was not selected, the coach (Karl Garrick) recognised her interest in the game, and he undertook to train her on Saturdays.
At the 15 years old, Gayle played her first tournament. Although she didn’t play well she was encouraged to continue playing.
After several more tournaments, she was invited to trials for Jamaica’s junior team and was selected to be a substitute player for the team participating in the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship held in Jamaica. In moving around golfing circles, Gayle met one of Jamaica’s premier golfers Jason Lopez.
As her golf improved, she was able to use this to gain a scholarship to attend UTech in 2011. Lopez provided a scholarship offer for her which includes financial assistance with tuition and accommodations. The scholarship was also able to cover Gayle’s entry fees for tournaments and training sessions with Lopez.
“I would not have had the opportunity to attend UTech or play golf if it wasn’t for the scholarship,” said Gayle.
“I’m going into the third of a four-year BSc (Bachelor of Science) course in Nursing. The level of financial stability because of the scholarship has been invaluable in helping me accomplish my life goals,” she said.
