NEGRIL, Jamaica — The annual Couples Charity Golf Tournament staged at the Negril Hills Course left many smiling as it came to a close yesterday afternoon.

Glenn Lawrence, the chief executive officer for Couples Resorts, was pleased that in excess of $1.2 million was raised to support charity.

“This is our ninth event (in Negril) and we’ve been having better turnouts every single year. This year we raised over $1.2 million for the charities that we’ve decided to support,” he said as bright skies gave way to rain and thunderstorm in the afternoon.

Lawrence said that “just over

$1 million” was raised last year.

This year’s beneficiaries are Clifton Boys’ Home, situated in Darliston, Westmoreland, and Grange Hill Primary School, based to the western end of the parish.

“We had our best turnout of repeat guests and they said they are coming next year and they hope to bring friends. We had great participation from Kingston golfers, as well as Montego Bay and Runaway Bay golf courses,” the Couples Resorts CEO beamed.

Lawrence, also patron of the tournament, ended top of the pile along with Richard White, based on net score.

“This year was my year. Myself and Richard White we won the tournament. It was a great experience, the greens were pretty slow, but we managed to negotiate them. There were no bogeys and we won the best net prize, so we’re very happy with the results. The format is two people playing the best shot you can play and we just seemed to hit the right shots at the right time,” Lawrence explained.

He said combining the act of charity with a fun-filled golf tournament made for a rewarding day on the course.

“For those of us who take it as a recreational sport we see the ability of having a good day out and also helping those less fortunate. So it’s a win-win for those who take the game in a proper perspective, but appreciate that there are others who can benefit from that,” said Lawrence.

The sponsors Digicel, VIP Attractions, C&W Business Solutions, Caribbean Producers, Interbrand, Anderson’s Fabrics, Antilles Freight, CIBC FirstCaribbean, and National Commercial Bank.

— Sanjay Myers