Junior golfers hitting the sweet spot

The efforts of the Junior Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) and the golf coaches over the last few years are now paying dividends. The Junior Golf fraternity is thriving and preparing well for the international stage.

Over the past weekend, the Junior JGA's second tournament in the Junior Series was held at Constant Spring Golf Club. While this is the home course for many of the juniors, the Junior JGA also supported the participation of players from Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. Thirtytwo Junior golfers between the ages of six and 16 played and brought in some very commendable scores.

Players were grouped by age, and tees were set according to international standards. In the Boys' Under-15 category, Radino Lobban, from St Ann, shot 83 on Day 1 and 76 on Day 2 to win the category overall. Elric Li placed second and Wahid Thomas third.

In the Boys' Under-13 section, Tristan Brown and Rocco Lopez had two days of competitive golf. Brown won on Saturday with a score of 74, while Lopez shot 79. Although Rocco gave away hole 9 on Sunday, with a four putt, he still managed to win for the day with a score of 76. Due to Tristan's outstanding score on Saturday, he managed to win the category overall by two strokes. Matthew Grant placed third, while Justine McKenzie won the Girls' Under-13.

In the Under-11 grouping, there was an amazing performance by 10-year-old Trey Williams. Williams led his age group with an 88 on Day 1, then outdid himself on Day 2 with an 86. Brady Holmes, aged 10, came second with a 94 on Saturday and an excellent 87 on Sunday, marred only by missing a one-foot putt on the final hole 18 to give Trey the outright win on Day 2. Also in this category, Bjorne Dennis and Sebastian Azan fought it out, but Dennis managed to edge Azan out of third place with one stroke.

IMPRESSIVE SCORE

Lek Drummond won the Under-9 category with an impressive score of 42 over nine holes. Mattea Issa placed second with a score of 44, followed by Samantha Azan, who shot 48.

The Beginners section had players aged six to eight years, who played nine holes from 100 to 150 yards. Seven-year-old Kemari Morris was the clear winner, shooting 46, with Cillian Hall in second place with a score of 54, and Spencer Taylor shooting 58.

This second match in the JGA Junior Series was made possible in part by sponsors of the Alliance Buccaneer Memorial Tournament and the Jamaica Golf Association. The third match in the JGA Juniors Series will be held on December 3 at the Constant Spring Golf Club as a part of one of the biggest tournaments of the year for the golfing fraternity of the year - S.A.N.T.A.