William Knibbs shot a one-under-par 71 to win his first-ever national title at the Half Moon Golf Course in Montego Bay on Sunday.
Knibbs was the only golfer to post a score under par over the three days of competition. He shot scores of 73 and 74 on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
At the end of day one, Knibbs shared the lead with Sebert Walker Jr and Rocco Lopez but fell to third on the second day. On Sunday, he shot his best round to rally and win by four shots over last year’s winner Justin Burrowes, who ended the championship tied for second Walker Jr.
They both ended with overall scores of 222 each.
“(It feels) great. It’s beyond anything in my wildest dreams. It is my first time winning the national championship. The last three years I came second, twice in a play-off and once by one shot,” said the elated champion, who said the conditions were challenging.
“It was very hot, very humid but it was windy at the same time. The person who made the least mistakes ended in a place to win so I am just lucky that I was this person.”
A disappointed Burrowes said he was unable to put everything together for this championship.
“Today it wasn’t the best result but I gave it my best shot so I can’t really complain. The conditions were pretty tough today. It was very hot. It was pretty windy at times and I just couldn’t get it going on the greens,” said the dethroned champion who shot 76 on Sunday.
“My putting wasn’t so great so it’s hard to really shoot a good score if you are not making many putts. William Knibbs played really well in the end and I am just happy for him to be honest.”
Meanwhile, Walker Jr. put together his best performance to date at the senior level. On Sunday, he led by a stroke at the halfway mark but had three bogeys on the back nine for a score of 77. “Today’s performance wasn’t the best. I had a solid day again similar to my first two days, however, I couldn’t quite get anything going at all,” he said.
“I needed to make more birdies just like over the first two days. It was a little tougher day and not having those birdies to help with the bogeys, really escalated the score. It was a solid performance nonetheless. I am still proud of how I played. I am not quite happy with the finish but proud of how I played. It was a good tournament overall.”
Day-one joint leader Lopez was just one stroke behind in fourth with a score of 223. He shot 75 on the final day.
Former national champion Sean Morris, who played with an injured finger, shot an 80 and posted a three-day total score of 229. Mark Newnham shot a 79 on Sunday to close with a score of 233.
The Men & Men Senior category: 7-12 handicap went to Kemar Brown – 234 (77). Shamar Wilson – 237 (80) was second while Tommy Lee -245 (80) was third.
In the Ladies section of the two-day championship, Emily Mayne (162) won the title over Michelle Hamilton (177).
The top three in the Men Super Senior category were Opton Marshall (172), Howard McKenzie (193) and Linval Freeman (197).
In the Juniors Boys (14-15), Aman Dhiman (154) won over Trey Williams (171) and Noah Azan (176). The two golfers in the Boys 11-13 section were Ryan Lue (180) amd Aaron Ghosh (182).
Mattea Issa (182) and Annoushka Khatri (198) were the girls in the 11-13 category.