TRYALL, Hanover — All things being equal the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) will not have to be searching too hard for a major sponsor for the 54th Open set for December 2021 since this year’s sponsor Aqua Bay made a commitment that it will stand behind the 54-hole event.

The event had been in doubt – after the major sponsor had pulled out mostly due to uncertainties during the COVID-19 pandemic – before Scott Summy of Aqua Bay, owners of one of the newer villas at the exclusive Tryall Club, stepped up to the plate and rescued the event.

While Summy had been coy when asked at the event’s launch a week earlier if he would commit to more than just one year, he was effusive with his praise of the execution of the four days of golf, starting with the Pro-Am on Saturday and the main event that ran from Sunday to Tuesday.

“There is a strong likelihood that I will be involved next year,” said Summy who runs a non-profit organisation in his native Texas.

“What I have seen, I like the way they have done things. And, of course, it’s not all up to me as part of this is between the JGA and the course and whether or not it will be held at Tryall,” noted Summy.

He was happy with what he saw throughout the last staging of the event.

“I think it’s been great, from what I have seen; I have been out here on the course all three days. The camaraderie has been great, the competition has been great, and the course has played very difficult. And it was set up where the greens were very fast and it provided great challenge for all the players, and even though there are these COVID restrictions I think that it has gone very well,” he said.

Summy has not been an idle onlooker as he was part of the team that won the Pro-Am on Saturday. “Yes, that was great, and I even contributed a little bit to the win as well,” he noted.

— Paul Reid