TRYALL, Hanover — “The show must go on,” said Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) President Peter Chin as the 53rd Jamaica Open was officially launched at the Tryall Club yesterday.

The event which will start today with a Pro-Am event, before the 54-hole tournament gets under way properly tomorrow, was in doubt earlier in the year as the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic saw a number of sponsors withdrawing.

Scott Summy, who owns the Aqua Bay villa on the Tryall property stepped up to sponsor the event, however, saving the event for at least this year.

“This year has been a very challenging one thanks to the COVID pandemic; we have had numerous competitors who have played here in the past who said they wont be able to make it, we have had entrants who have pulled out but the show must go on,” Chin said.

He noted that they would have a full field for today’s Pro-Am that gets under way at 10:00 am, while 61 players will tee off tomorrow morning, aiming for the US$20,000 first prize.

Chin said the decision to move the Pro-Am from it’s usual Wednesday slot was taken as “the JGA wanted to involve more people from the golfing community in Jamaica in the event, so we moved it from a Wednesday to Saturday, which is a first for us, and we have had a great reception for that event”.

With the threat of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the air, Chin added: “This year we have had to introduce the Government’s COVID protocols and all players, participants, volunteers, ground staff have to be tested, but golf is the perfect sport for social distancing.”

Summy said the decision to sponsor the event came during a round of golf with Ewan Peebles, the director of golf at Tryall, when he voiced his concerns that the event might have to be postponed.

“This year has been a crazy year because of the pandemic,” he said. “I heard that the event might have to be put off due to the pandemic while I was talking with Ewan Peebles,” and said he thought this might be a perfect situation for his family and their non-profit organisation Supreme Court Foundation based in Texas to get involved and keep it going.

“I think that it is important because I know a lot of people are suffering during this time but thought why not play some golf and show that life is going to go on and we all have to keep living our lives, and so we decided to sponsor the event,” Summy said.

“There will be some great players, we might not have as many people show up as usual but we will get to keep it at Tryall for another year and keep it going and I think that is important to show that we are all moving forward even though we are having COVID.”