Jamaica successfully defends Caribbean 4-Ball Golf Championship
Team Jamaica returned to the island this week as five-time winner of the Caribbean Golf Association’s 4-Ball Championship after topping the tournament in Trinidad and Tobago at the Plantain Golf and Country Club.
Since 2020 when Jamaica claimed the overall trophy (Ambrose Gouthro Cup), the island’s golfers have distinguished themselves by winning the cup each year. This year the Jamaica team amassed 73 points to win ahead of Trinidad and Tobago (56).
The other islands in the six-team championship were Bermuda, who finished third with 38 points, fourth-placed Bahamas (34), fifth-placed Barbados (23), and the Cayman Islands (nine).
Jamaica entered the championship with the largest number of golfers (20), followed by host country Trinidad and Tobago (16).
There were six trophy categories within the championship. Jamaica won four of the six categories, came second in another, and fifth in the other while putting on a dominant display over its Caribbean partners.
The male/female trophy breakdown showed three wins and a fifth place for the men, while the women won one and came second in the other.
Dr Mark Newnham and Owen Samuda teamed up to capture the Francis Steele & Perkins Cup for the senior men after posting seven under par 209 over the three rounds. The team from Bermuda posted one under par 215. They had two very good rounds of three under par each for the second and third round, respectively, while scoring one under par 71 in the first round.
The duo of Radcliff Knibbs and Keith Stein posted even more impressive scores to take the Higgs & Higgs Trophy. Their three-day total of 11 under par 205 resulted from three under par 69 in the first round and four under par 68 in the last two rounds.
The B team of Metry Seaga and Mike Glieckman came second with a four under par 212 score, while Trinidad came third with one over par 217.
The Ashraph Ali Trophy for masters or men over 70 went to Jamaica’s men’s team of Dorrel Allen and Victor Hudson. They posted a combined score of 220 to share the trophy with The Bahamas who posted the same score.
The local duo of Andre Dhanpaul and Delroy Johnson were no match for Bermuda in the quest for the Ramon Baez Romano Trophy for mid amateur men. Bermuda’s total score was nine under par 207, while Jamaica posted 24 over par 240 for fifth place.
The combination of Michelle McCreath and Maggie Lyn grabbed the Dessie Henry Trophy for females 45 and over. They scored 252 ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s 264 in second place.
Trinidad and Tobago turned the tables on Jodi Munn-Barrow and Lisa Gardner to take the Maria Nunes Trophy for ladies 25 and over. Trinidad and Tobago’s combined score of 240 was just two strokes ahead of Jamaica’s 242.
Jamaica Golf Association President Jodi Munn-Barrow said: “[I am] extremely proud of Team Jamaica at this year’s 4-Ball Championships, victorious in all except one category this year and a second-place finish.
“The team played hard, the conditions were tough, [the] course was windy, but we all played to our game plan and I am very very proud of all of the team members.”