TRYALL, Hanover — American Michael Maguire won the 54th Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) Open presented by Aqua Bay Resorts beating compatriot Ryan Sullivan on the first hole of a dramatic sudden-death play-off at the Tryall Club in Hanover yesterday.

The men had finished the three-day, 54-hole tournament tied on eight under par 208 and despite fading light, returned to the par four first hole. Maguire, who had finished third twice before, birdied the hole to take home the winners trophy and the US$20,000 first prize, as Sullivan could only make par as his birdie put was short by inches.

The 29-year-old Maguire had placed third in 2017 at Half Moon’s White Witch course and in 2019 at Tryall and told reporters after the long day, “Third time was the charm.”

Play went late into the day and well past the expected close due in some part to American Kurtis Luedtke aggravating a bad right knee injury on the fifth tee and gallantly hobbled around the course for more than three hours and at the end was helped off the final hole by other golfers as the small crowd turn out applauded his bravery.

Six shots separated the top 10 players as Stephen Grant, also of the US, was third with seven under par 209, Trinidad’s Benjamin Martin was fourth with six under par 210, Luedtke and Canadian Dustin Risdon, who led for the first two rounds, were tied for fifth with five under par 211.

Aaron Bailey and Wesley Brown were the top two Jamaican professionals, tied on 24 over par 225 with Sean Green further back tied for 30th with 232.

Justin Barrow won the amateur section with one over par 217 after shooting three under 69 yesterday, passing defending champion William Knibbs, who had led for the first two rounds but shot 10 over 82 on the third day to finish eight over, while Rocco Lopez was third with 15 over par 231.

Despite threats of rain the weather held for all three days. “It was a grind out there. I knew being in the final group it would be tough; there are guys obviously in front of me that were playing well and putting on the pressure so I had to keep the pedal down and keep making birdies coming in and I just stuck to my game plan and just try to take it one shot at a time and not get ahead of myself and it paid off,” Maguire said. “It worked out in the end and after coming close the two previous years, finishing third I was hungry to get the win.”

The American who had shot rounds of even par 72 on the first round and five under 67 on Tuesday, added, “It feels good, I don’t think it has set in quite yet…this is a very special tournament…the golf course is amazing and I always have a great time here; it’s hard not to enjoy yourself out there so I was just trying to do that, and I played well enough to get the job done, the play-off was exciting and birdieing that first play-off hole was the icing on the cake.”

Maguire started the day poorly as he double bogeyed the first hole, shooting a six but caught fire quickly birdieing five of six holes between the third and eighth holes for three under for the first nine, then had bogey and a birdie on the back nine.

Sullivan shot a seven under 65 yesterday after four over 76 on Monday and five under 67 Tuesday and led in the clubhouse for a few hours until Maguire just missed winning it in regulation as his birdie put on the 18th was wide by less than two inches.