In good shape - Ja tied for second at CAJGC after Day One

Coach Jason Lopez was in high spirits late yesterday after Jamaica ended Day One of the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships (CAJGC) tied for second spot.

Lopez said it was a very good day for the Jamaican team and expects it to get even better on Day Two.

"Today was a solid day for Team Jamaica. We were good right across the spectrum of the age groups and based on that we are in the top two," he said.

"It was a little tricky but we have players who know they could have done more than they did today. So we are in good shape and I think we are going to play better and keep moving from strength to strength," Lopez said.

Sebert Walker Jr, Justin Burrowes, Kei Harris, Rocco Lopez, Emily Mayne and Michael Lowe produced outstanding performances for the Jamaica team as the hosts ended the day tied for second with Dominica Republic on 43 points, five behind leaders and defending champions Puerto Rico on 48.

Walker on top

After completing 18 holes in th 54-hole tounament, Walker Jr and Burrowes finished the day in first and second, respectively, in the boys' Under-18 division.

Walker topped the standings with an even par 72, followed by Burrowes, four strokes behind on 76. Puerto Rico's Antonia Morales and Melvin Morales finished third and fourth, respectively, with 76, the same as Dominica Republic's Juan Delgado.

Jamaica's other competitors in the division, Jack Stein and Luke Lindo, shot 81 to end tied in eighth place.

In the girls' Under-18 section, Harris shot 76 to be tied with Dominica Republic's Maria Sanchez. Puerto Rico's Valeria Pacheco (75) leads that category by one stroke. Jamaica's Tiana Cruz (83) ended fifth.

Over in the boys' Under-13 section Rocco Lopez also ended the day with a four over par (76), tied for second and sits one stroke off leader Chris Richards (75) of Trinidad and Tobago. Lopez is tied with Puerto Rico's Darrell Santiago, while Jamaica's Matthew Grant was tied for sixth with 82 and Aman Dhiman was 14th with 95.

In the girls' Under-13s, Emily Mayne (85) was third behind Puerto Rico's Darianys Guzman (78) and Cayman's Holly McLean (83). Mattea Issa (98) was tied for eighth, while Winnie Lau (103) sits in 11th spot.

However, the top performance of the day belonged to Cayman Island's Aaron Jarvins who produced a very good two under par (70) to top the boys' Under-15 section.

Puerto Rico's Diego Saavedra carded an impressive 71, for one under par, but had to settle for second. Dominica Republic's Julio Rios (74) was third and Jamaica's Michael Lowe (95) fourth..

In the girls Under-15 segment, Barbados' Emily Odwin (76) outscored Yae Eun Kim (78) of Dominica Republic and Sophie Anand of Bahamas (79). Jamaica's Eryn Blakely (83) was tied for fifth, while Justin McKenzie (111) ended in 13th.

The tournament tees off today at 8:30 a.m.