ROSE HALL, St James — Despite not playing all of last year, former Cornwall College student Sebert Walker Jr finished tied for second at last weekend’s Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) National Amateur Championships at the Half Moon course in Rose Hall, St James.

Walker, who left Cornwall College after grade 11 in 2017, spent two years completing high school at Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware, and just finishing his first year at Tennessee State University, was in contention on all three days of the 54-hole tournament, before coming up short on Sunday.

After leading by a shot coming into Sunday’s final round, he shot a five over par 77 score to finish on 222, six over par, tied with last year’s winner Justin Burrowes, both behind first- time winner William Knibbs who shot a 218 two par to make up for last year’s play-off loss.

Walker, who had shared the first- round lead with a one over par 73 score before taking over the lead on Saturday after an even par 72, described his tournament as “a solid, consistent weekend”.

“I did not make anything bigger than a bogey for the whole weekend and I find that good, but I could not quite get it going as far as the birdies are concerned and couldn’t really make anything happen,” said Walker, adding that maybe he did not have the competition edge.

He did not play while at Tennessee State, using the time, he said, to continue the work he had started to lift his grades while in high school in Delaware.

“School has been good… a year off from playing golf and the last two years of high school I have sharpened up and gotten my grades up,” the business management major said, adding that his grade point average for his first year was an impressive 3.27.

After completing high school, Walker said he had applied to several schools in Georgia, Tennessee and Florida, close to where his relatives lived and was accepted at both Tennessee State and Florida A&M University (FAMU).

He was able to get some practice in prior to the start of last weekend’s tournament since returning home and is looking forward to getting back to playing on a regular basis when he returns to Tennessee next month— that is if they are able to play due to COVID-19 protocols.

“My game has been all right despite been off for so long,” he told the Jamaica Observer West on Sunday.

“Being back home and getting the chance to practice, my game is pretty solid, but I am still working on some things and also getting back into competition rhythm,” he explained.

He said he is looking forward to next year.

“I am expecting to have a solid year. I am not trying to make up for the missed year, but to make my presence felt,” he stressed.

The competition he is expecting in Tennessee he told the Observer West, “it’s not much harder than what we have here but there are a lot more competition that you can play at your level and that makes it feel tougher.”

The courses, Walker added, are “typically nicer and well-kept, but we have to appreciate what we have”.