Team 14B, comprising Junior Rodney, Melissa Muender, Rudolph Willis and Ashley Beady, hold a one-shot lead at the end of the first of the two-day 17th annual United States Travel Agents Golf Tournament, which teed off at Sandals Golf and Country Club in Ocho Rios, St Ann, yesterday.

The quartet shot 66 after 18 holes to grab the ascendancy ahead of team 9 on 67, while three other teams — #1B, #7 and #16B — are joined on 68 in the four-man scramble format. Gerald Christ, James Cassie, Steve Simmons and Debbie Simmons make up Team 9.

Team 1B consists of Donia Davis, Mark Haley, Victor Cochran and Mark Rigby; Team Seven has Theodore Schensnol, Valerie Schensnol, Thomas Ketchum and Caron Ketchum; and Team 16B is Rodolfo Arenas, Genith Toledo Carreno, Valdelucia Freire and Albertha Brown. Team Eight — Wallace Haynes, Max Coleman, Daryl Hubbard and Floyd Joseph are next with a score of 69.

A total of 92 golfers, 50 of whom are first-timers, make up the 23 teams that teed off yesterday, which makes for an intriguing final day of competition. Competition continues at 8:30 am today.

Meanwhile, Genith Toledo Carreno and Linda Hyde won the Ladies Closest to Pin and Longest Drive categories, while Ron Wagman won the men’s Longest Drive. There was no male winner for Closest to Pin. Approximately US$567 was also raised for the Sandals Foundation through a driving competition which will continue today, with junior participants and agents to raise more funds.

Sandals Resorts’ National Director of Sales and Tournament Director Garth Laird welcomed the addition of the new participants, which he believes speaks volumes of the tournament.

The Travel Agents Golf Tournament is of great benefit to both Jamaica, as a golfing destination, and Sandals Resorts, as it gives the travel partners a chance to experience the island first-hand and hence be better able to market the destination and facilities to their respective clients.

“One of the great things that we do is not only maintain a consistent participation from agents who have been coming for the 17 years that we have had the competition, but this year we have been able to get 50 new participants.

“One of the things that we have also noticed is the relationships that they have developed with the caddies, and that’s what it is really about — developing the relationships with the resorts, with the caddies, with the travel agents,” Laird reasoned.

“Because ultimately, they still play a pivotal role in the growth of destination companies like Sandals and Beaches Resorts and of course, our sister company like Island Routes because they have the ability to influence customer buying patterns and behaviour. So that’s why it is always important for us to bring them down, showcase the destination, showcase the island and the resorts, which of course include the golf course,” he added.

That said, Laird revealed they will be awarding the most honest team.

“This is because we know whenever you have scramble events, people are always very liberal with their scoring. So we want to award the most honest team, which is the team with the highest score at the end of the tournament,” he explained.

The awards presentation will take place today at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort.