Some of the main stakeholders (from L –R) Allan Beckford-general manager at SDF, Dr. Carey Wallace - executive director of TEF, Peter Chin – chairman of the Jamaica Open organizing committee and Jodi Munn-Barrow – president of the JGA happily hang on to the event trophy at the launch of the 45th staging of the open. The launch was on Thursday October 31 at the Constant Spring Golf Club in Kingston.
The Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) launched the prestigious 57th Jamaica Open Golf Championship on Thursday at the Constant Spring Golf Club in Kingston.
The championship will be held at the picturesque Tryall Golf Club in Hanover for the fifth consecutive year from November 10 to 12 while the pro-am tournament is scheduled for November 9 with an 8:30 am start.
It will feature the majority of the pros and the amateurs playing in teams, to share skills, generate camaraderie and introduce the course to the overseas based golfers.
Sixty players from United States of America (USA), Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda, and host country Jamaica have completed their registration already, including the defending champion, professional Andrew Arft of the USA.
The playing format will be stroke play, 18 holes each day for a total of 54 holes.
“We are expecting a very successful event. Based on the entries so far, we have surpassed last year’s numbers. The difficulty we had with this tournament in terms of entries was from the pandemic, the numbers have been rising but have not gotten back to the level that they were,” said organizing committee chairman Peter Chin.
“We are hopeful every year to increase the prize money because that is what attracts the top professional golfers. The prize money this year if we have a full field is US$110,000,” added Chin.
The honouree for this year’s event is Johnny Bloomfield who won the Jamaica Open three times.
JGA president Jodi Munn-Barrow expounded on the choice of Bloomfield as honouree.
“Johnny is the only one to win three consecutive Jamaica Opens on two different golf courses. He won his first one at Caymanas (2006) and then the last two (2008 and 2009) at Half Moon Golf Course when we had it at Half Moon. So that itself is a feat. Seymour Rose is another three-time winner but not consecutively so we thought it was just right to award him as the honouree this year for that feat.”
She said that the Tryall Golf Course was “excellent as usual."
"I got word from them that they are ready to go. The superintendent is on top of the preparations. The rough will be grown in again like last year so it will make it a little bit more difficult for the pros and the amateurs but Tryall is challenging on its own and if the wind comes up it will be even much harder so I think Tryall is the perfect spot for championships such as the Jamaica Open.”
Two of the sponsors, Tourism Enhancement Fund and Sports Development Foundation were represented by Dr. Carey Wallace and Alan Beckford respectively. They endorsed the open.
Wallace, executive director of TEF said “golf tourism is of course an important diamond amongst diamonds that we have here in Jamaica and so investing in this tournament which is an international tournament, in fact it is the number one international tournament here in Jamaica for golf. We believe that it is necessary for us to support the outstanding associations, stakeholders that are putting it together for them to have the resources to take it to higher levels.”
Beckford, the SDF’s general manager said “the Sports Development Foundation has historically supported the sport of golf and it goes more than just supporting the golf federation. We also have had a summer camp that we have supported in collaboration with Insports and we have had this camp for a number of years where we have students from the community around Caymanas Golf Course coming out to participate in the camp. We have sponsored a pro-am tournament a couple of years as well too so we see golf to be a very important sport among the sports in Jamaica. We think it’s an excellent sport and we wish them the best with this tournament.”
Aqua Bay Resort returns as presenting sponsor for the fifth consecutive year. The major sponsors include the TEF, Tryall, JTB, Jamaica Tours, Grand Palladium, SDF and Vybwear while the product sponsors are Wata, Juici Patties, Café Blue, Honey Bun and Rainforest.
Scheffler leads after second round of Hero World Challenge
World number one Scottie Scheffler enjoyed a two-shot lead after the second round of the Hero World Challenge as he looks to defend the title.
The 28-year-old American made eight birdies in a bogey-free round to finish on 13 under at the Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.
Scheffler was three shots back of Cameron Young after the first round of the event that has a field of 20 players and is hosted by Tiger Woods.
"[I was] just trying to keep my foot down on the pedal," said Scheffler.
"It was good. I did a lot of good things. The front nine was really nice and then the back nine I felt like I did some good things as well."
Justin Thomas and Akshay Bhatia are joint-second on 11 under, with Keegan Bradley two shots back and sitting in fourth place.
"I didn't feel like I had to grind on the majority of my birdie putts, a lot of them were tap-ins or whatnot," Thomas said.
"If I can just iron or wedge it just a little closer to the hole and get some putts to go in, I feel like I've got a really good round out there this weekend."
Sepp Straka and Im Sung-jae are tied for fifth place after shooting 68s, while Young, who was the leader after the opening day, slipped down to share 10th place.
Sidney Wolf to be inducted into Caribbean Golf Association's Hall of Fame
The Caribbean Golf Association (CGA)has announced the induction of Sidney Wolf into the CGA Hall of Fame. The ceremony recognizing Wolf’s decades-long dedication and significant contributions to the sport of golf in the Caribbean will take place prior to the PRGA’s 70th anniversary celebration gala on December 13 at 6pm at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Sidney Wolf has been a cornerstone of Caribbean golf since his first appearance at the Hoerman Cup in Jamaica in 1989. Serving as president of the CGA intermittently since 1995 and leading the Puerto Rico Golf Association (PRGA) for nearly three decades, Wolf has played a pivotal role in promoting and developing golf throughout the region.
Wolf's involvement with the CGA began as Vice President in 1995, supporting various presidents before stepping into the leadership role himself. Notably, in 2009, he initiated the process to establish the CGA Hall of Fame, further demonstrating his commitment to recognizing and celebrating excellence in Caribbean golf. His unwavering commitment has seen him attend nearly all CGA Championships and assist in conducting these events. His leadership has been instrumental in chairing and hosting numerous significant tournaments, including four Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships (CAGCs), five Caribbean Junior Golf Championships (CAJGCs) in Puerto Rico, several CGA Classics in Puerto Rico, the United States, and the Dominican Republic, as well as two Caribbean Cups.
Beyond organizing events, Wolf has been crucial in securing attractive rates and packages, significantly reducing costs, and ensuring the CGA's financial stability. His fundraising efforts, particularly through securing raffle prizes, have bolstered the association’s financial health. Wolf has emphasized the importance of developing local talent in tournament administration and rules.
In recognition of his extensive contributions, Wolf's induction into the CGA Hall of Fame is a testament to his dedication to the sport. His achievements also include induction into the Puerto Rico Sports Hall of Fame and the PRGA Hall of Fame. He is a respected member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and has served on the USGA Regional Affairs committee since 1996.
Internationally, Wolf has made significant impacts as well. He chaired the World Amateur Team Championships in 2004, worked with the PGA TOUR Latin America and the PGA TOUR, and played a pivotal role in hosting the first USGA Championship outside the US mainland in 2022 and the Latin American Amateur Championship in 2023. He co-founded the Americas Golf Association and the Copa de las Americas and currently serves as Chairman of the Future Sites Committee for the International Golf Federation (IGF).
Reflecting on his career, Wolf credits the collaborative efforts of past CGA presidents and dedicated regional leaders for the association’s success. Despite the sacrifices and long hours, Wolf's service has always been about giving back to the sport he loves. His legacy is marked by relentless dedication, visionary leadership, and a profound impact on golf in the Caribbean and beyond.
Young delighted to 'feel like himself' after Hero World Challenge opening round
Cameron Young holds a two-shot lead after the first round of the Hero World Challenge, which is being hosted by Tiger Woods in the Bahamas.
The 27-year-old shot eight under par with no bogeys on Thursday, which gave him a lead over Justin Thomas, who birdied four of the last five holes.
Young is number 38 in the world rankings and was named the 2022 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, but has not yet won a PGA title.
The American was understandably pleased with his start to the tournament.
"It's a nice thing to come out and just feel like yourself," he said.
"Really happy with it. I feel like with the driver I was just really comfortable and that's a huge key out here.
"I'm sure I missed a fairway or two, but for the most part I was really well in position. Then I made a couple putts early, which was nice."
Elsewhere, defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler is on five under through the first round, three shots back on Young.
Scheffler is tied with Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala, Patrick Cantlay and Akshay Bhatia.
Woods, who is the host and a 15-time major winner, was forced to miss the tournament having been originally expected to take an exemption spot – the tournament itself features 20 of the world's top players.
While there was no official reason given for Woods' absence, a lengthy injury history has ensured a limited competition schedule in recent years.
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