VERY strict COVID-19 protocols will be in place at next weekend’s 53rd staging of the Jamaica Open Golf Championships set to be played at Tryall Golf Club in Sandy Bay, Hanover, with organisers setting up what they call a virtual “tournament bubble” for the duration of the event.

Players coming from overseas will have to present a negative certificate upon arrival for the tournament, organisers are saying.

Protocols set out by the USA Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Association will be adapted for the event that starts on Saturday with the Pro-Am and continues a day later with the first day of the 54-hole tournament.

Meanwhile, it was announced that the event that would be sponsored by Aqua Bay, and the Jamaica Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has been getting a lot of attention with 70 players already indicating their interest in taking part.

Jodi Munn-Barrow, a member of the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) executive who is in charge of the COVID-19 protocols, said on Friday at a media event at Constant Spring that “between last year and this year’s event we have had to do some major changes because of COVID-19 and of course, implementing protocols”.

She said the JGA has developed it’s COVID-19 protocols “in conjunction with the USA Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Association”.

“We follow their template and then develop our protocols to govern golf in Jamaica. We have had to adopt those and change them a bit to facilitate the professionals, in addition with respect to the overseas entries,” Munn-Barrow said.

Players arriving from overseas will have to present a negative COVID test result and would “be met upon arrival at the airport, facilitated through the airport, taken to the transport that has been arranged, directly to the hotel”.

“Then during the day’s play, the pros will be transported from the hotel to the golf course and back, and then of course at the end of the tournament, transported back to the airport,” she explained.

Munn-Barrow added: “All participants, amateurs and pros will be tested, our caddies will be tested, our administrators will be tested, an only limited spectators will be allowed to come.

“We have had very good cooperation from all of the Government agencies and the University Hospital of the West Indies, which will be assisting us in providing the technicians who will be at Tryall Golf Club from about the Wednesday before the event to start the testing of the caddies and administrators.

President of the JGA, Peter Chin said they have had entries from the USA, Latin America, Canada and the United Kingdom.

“So far, the interest has been extremely high. We have over 70 players registered so far, professionals and amateurs,” Chin is quoted to have said. “Players are coming from the USA, Latin America, Canada and also the UK,” he added.

By the time entries are closed, Chin said they were “hopeful that we will get to approximately 80 or 85 players”.