Another third-place finish for Jamaica at CAJGC

As they did in 2022, Jamaica had to settle for another third-place finish at the 35th staging of the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship (CAJGC), which was held at the North Sound Golf course in The Cayman Islands.

The Jamaicans rattled up 116 total team points following the three rounds of competition, with Puerto Rico going on to claim the Hank James trophy after amassing 161 points.

The Dominican Republic took second place after securing 131 points, with hosts Cayman rounding out the top four after amassing 101 points.

Captain Emily Mayne failed to defend her girls’ 18 and under title despite having the best individual finish as she had to settle for second place behind Cayman Islands’ Holly McLean.

Mayne ended the three rounds with a 14 over par score of 227 following rounds of 78, 76, and 73. McLean took the flight after posting a one under par 212 with scores of 72, 71, and 69.

Jamaica’s Mattea Issa had to settle for sixth place in the category after carding a 28 over par 241.

On the boys’ side, Rocco Lopez also found himself on the podium after finishing third in the boys’ 18 and under flight following his three over par total of 216. Lopez opened the round with a 72 before shooting 74 in round two and then improving in the final round with a score of 70.

Puerto Rico’s Kelvin Hernandez took the title after recording a 10 under par total of 203.

Kurt Rivers of the Turks and Caicos was second with a one over par 214.

Jamaica’s Aman Dhiman finished sixth in the category with a 14 over par 227 while compatriot Ryan Lue ended in eighth place following his 17 over par 230.

The boys’ 15 and under saw 14th and 17th place finishes for Aaron Ghosh and Davin Hogan, respectively, while on the female side, Samantha Azan could only manage a sixth-place finish after winning the title last year. Teammate Anoushka Khatri ended in seventh place.

The boys’ 13 and under saw Kemari Morris placing sixth with Shasa Redlefsen ending in eighth place. Jamaica’s lone female in the 13 and under flight saw Alessandra Coe finishing in fifth place.

Team captain Mayne summed up what were some difficult windy conditions for the team over the three days but still gave a positive outlook for the national team’s performance.

“I am proud of my team even though some players didn’t feel they played their best. We all kept up the team spirit and went out on the course to support each other and made sure no one felt bad about their round, and that’s what I am most proud about,” Mayne said.

Coach Jason Lopez was also proud of the team’s effort.

“We had some standout players like Rocco and Emily, and the kids played some good golf throughout the tournament in the various age groups. We weren’t able to put it together consistently day to day, which is why we finished in third place instead of second,” said Lopez.