Day one leader- Jamaica’s Ryan Lue tees off on hole number one prior to scoring an impressive five under par 67 for the first round of the 36th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship which was played at the Caymanas Golf Course in St. Catherine on Wednesday.
Jamaica’s Ryan Lue posted the lowest score of all the golfers on the Caymanas Golf Course during Wednesday’s first round of the 36th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship (CAJGC).
He carded an impressive five under par 67 which included six birdies and one bogey. The birdies were on holes six, nine, 10, 14, 15 and 17 while the bogey was on hole number two.
Lue was happy with his day one score which he said was the result of patience.
“Patience and preparation. I have been preparing and I just stayed patient today so I produced a pretty good score. I just played my game. I didn’t rush anything. Didn’t try to force birdies or make stupid mistakes on the course. I just kept it going. Took my birdies when they came, made a lot of pars and just happy with my result,” he said.
His nearest rival was Evan Pena of Puerto Rico who was three shots back having score two under par 70. They were the only ones to post under par scores in the found.
The other Jamaicans in the under 18 age group were Aman Dhiman with an even par 72 in third place, followed closely by Trey Williams who was tied for fourth place on one over par 73, as well as Noah Azan 82 in 14th position and Jerone Thomas 86 in 21st place.
Shasa Redlefsen topped the leaderboard in the 11-13 age group after posting seven over par 79 but was just one stroke ahead of Otiz Bayoan of Puerto Rico on 80. Jacob Schnoor occupied the 11th spot with his 104.
Jamaica’s two representatives in the 15 and Under category were in 11th and 15th place respectively. They are Jamal Stewart 84 and Kemari Morris 92. The top three in the category were Kerrington Rolle of the Bahamas 72, Tomas Rodriguez 72 who were tied for first place and Aman Newton 75.
On the girls’ side, Puerto Rico’s Camila Negroni was leading the 18 and Under category after posting three over par 75 in the round. Mattea Issa was five shots back on eight over par 80 in second place.
Negroni was pleased with her performance.
“It feels amazing. I hit my irons really good today. I made a lot of fairways. I am looking forward to tomorrow and making a lot of good shots, making a lot of puts and just fixing what I thought could be better today,” she said.
Jamaica’s lone representative in the 11-13 age group was Alessandra Coe on two strokes off the lead. She ended the round tied for third place with Isabella Ramdeen of Trinidad & Tobago. The leader was Arissa Robinson of the Trinidad & Tobago on 13 over par 85.
Jamaica does not have any representative in the 15 and Under category, however the top three were Madison Carroll-Carlos of the Bahamas 81, Shania Reyes 83 and Mariella Young 83.
Jamaica’s coach Jason Lopez assessed the day’s play.
“There has been some very high level golf. I am very impressed every year. You always see some players that you are obviously familiar with from years gone by and then you see some players you’ve never seen before and you like wow where did this player cone from, which is wonderful because it means that there is talent being developed throughout the region so for me that is a positive,” he said.
“Myself and Johnny (the other Jamaican coach) couldn’t be more pleased. The message we tried to get across to our team was to unweight themselves cause some times playing at home can be an advantage but also there is a lot of expectation. We saw our team very bubbly, very loose, a lot of smiles, a lot of pep in the step and that’s what we asked for attitude wise,” he added.
Spieth expecting to be tournament ready for 2025 PGA season
Jordan Spieth is expecting to return to action for the 2025 PGA Tour season after undergoing successful wrist surgery last month.
Spieth, who last competed at the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind, failed to find his best form during the recent campaign out on the course.
The former world number one started the season strong, finishing third in The Sentry and then, a few weeks later, tied for sixth in the WM Phoenix Open
But the American missed the final two playoffs in the BMW Championship and Tour Championship, while also missing seven cuts, one of which included the Masters.
Spieth was seen sporting a cast on his first appearance since the surgery and was able to reveal the timeline for his return to action.
"I think that by 2025, by Jan. 1, it's my goal to be tournament-ready," Spieth told Golfweek in a Q&A published on Monday.
"And for me, that would be not just going out and seeing how it feels, you know, but expecting to play at my ceiling."
Spieth has three major wins and 13 overall victories on the PGA Tour but has not emerged victorious since the RBC Heritage in April 2022.
The American did not earn entry into the 2025 season-opening tournament. However, he is able to play in the Sony Open in Hawaii at the start of January.
While the 31-year-old's main reason for surgery was to see him return to form, he also detailed the personal reasons for his decision to go under the knife.
"I would say the number one reason why I ended up getting it done was because it affects my way of life at home," Spieth said.
"Like when it would dislocate and I couldn't get it back in, it would happen when I'm getting my daughter out of the bath, I'm putting a sweatshirt on or it just so random that it was like, I didn't want it to continue, and it happened more and more.
"And it wasn't going to heal itself based on a number of different docs and scans and whatever. So it's just inevitable."
McIlroy 'getting used to' near misses after Irish Open heartbreak
Rory McIlroy admitted that he was "getting used to" his near misses after another late collapse saw him lose the Irish Open by one stroke.
The Northern Irishman looked set to win on home soil after taking a commanding four-shot lead at one point on Sunday.
However, costly errors on the 15th and 17th holes put the pressure back on him, and he could not hold off Rasmus Hojgaard.
McIlroy's performance at Royal County Down had echoes of his US Open misery, where he also held a lead before mistakes at crucial moments saw him lose out to Bryson DeChambeau, extending his wait for a major title into an 11th year.
He also faltered late in his bid for an Olympic medal in Paris, but McIlroy attempted to take some positives out of his latest tournament.
"I'm getting used to it [the near misses] unfortunately this year," McIlroy said.
"Hopefully the tide is going to turn pretty soon, and I can turn all these close calls into victories."
"Missing the green right on 15 is the place you can't go, and then I just misjudged the speed with the first putt on 17.
"Overall, obviously really disappointed that I didn't win, but I'll try to take the positives and move on to next week to Wentworth [at the BMW PGA Championship].
"From where I was at the start of the week and what I wanted to do, it's a step in the right direction. You know, if anything, it just whets my appetite even more for Portrush [the Open Championship] next year."
Woods undergoes back surgery after difficult 2024 season
Tiger Woods has undergone surgery to address the back spasms and pain that hampered him throughout 2024.
Woods has struggled for fitness throughout the last few years, having suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021.
He appeared at all four majors this year but missed the cut at three of those events, also finishing 60th at the Masters, while illness forced him to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February.
The 15-time major champion has also undergone several surgeries on his back throughout the last decade, and he revealed on Friday that another procedure was required to rectify issues that plagued him this season.
"Earlier this morning Tiger underwent micro decompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back," read a statement posted to Woods' X account.
"Dr Sheeraz Qureshi of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach performed the surgery and deemed it successful."
Woods added: "The surgery went smoothly, and I'm hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season.
"I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal activities, including golf."
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