After a successful, ground breaking staging of the Sandals-sponsored Jamaica National Amateur Golf Championship at the Sandals Golf and Country Club in Ocho Rios recently, both organisers and sponsors were left optimistic.

The tournament, which is the premier event on the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) calendar, was being hosted outside the Corporate Area for the first time since its inception, and by all indications, it will not be the last.

The three-day, 54-hole tournament was contested by over 60 of the country’s most outstanding male and female, junior and super senior golfers, and served as a significant platform to build on ahead of the national trials in June.

Ramel Sobrino, general manager of Sandals Ochi, expressed sheer delight at their affiliation with such a prestigious tournament.

“This is a tournament that has a lot of history and has been celebrated for many years in Kingston. So it was just an honour for us to have hosted this tournament for the very first time outside of Kingston, and by extension sponsor such an important event.

“It absolutely lived up to expectation, because we had the very best golfers from all over Jamaica playing here in Ocho Rios. It was a magical couple of days in which we observed the enthusiasm and camaraderie of the participants who came here and competed in different categories,” Sobrino told the Jamaica Observer.

Caribbean Champion Jonathan Newnham, with daily scores of 74, 67 and 70, took home the crown after ending with a combined total of 211. He finished 10 strokes ahead of the Sandals Academy pair of Oshae Haye and Zandre Roye, who both ended with a similar score of 221.

Newnham is expected to headline those vying for a spot on the team for the Hoerman Cup competition to be staged in Bahamas in August.

Meanwhile, Peter Chin, president of the JGA, was also pleased after the shift in venue.

“The tournament went well; it is good that the National Championship can move out of Kingston. The golf course and the facilities are great and it certainly won’t be the last time that Sandals will be hosting this tournament,” Chin assured.

“We anticipated the participation of top players who are vying to make the national team, and they did very well. The scoring has been mostly good. This tournament is always for the best amateur golfers in Jamaica and we just hope that we will have more participants next year,” he noted.