President of the JOA Chris Samuda (r) shared a moment with Mattea Issa and the Jamaica golf team to the 64th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships at the Norman Manley International Airport on Saturday.
Five of Jamaica’s eight-member team departed the island on Saturday for the 64th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships which will be played at the Country Club at Grand Reserve, Rio Grande in Puerto Rico from August 24 to 26.
The five - Justin Burrowes, Mattea Issa, William Knibbs, Dr Mark Newnham and Shamar Wilson - will be joined later by Rocco Lopez, Owen Samuda and Madelyn Newkirk. The team will have two practice rounds on the par 72 course prior to the start of the championship as they prepare to challenge for the Arthur Ziadie Trophy, the Hoerman Cup and the George Teale Trophy.
A strong men's team headed by national amateur golf champion Justin Burrowes will lead the charge for Hoerman Cup which Jamaica has never won. Jamaica was third at the last championship held in 2019. There was no competition in 2020 because of the pandemic.
"It's one of my favourite tournaments, the Caribbean tournament, it means everything to me to travel with my team to represent my country and hopefully do well," said Burrowes, who welcomed the new players to the campaign.
"I think they get along really well with the team. They are both very easy people to get along with so that aspect of it is easy. They are both two very talented golfers so I know they will go out and do their best and that's all we can really ask for.
“I played junior golf with Rocco at least three or four times so I know Rocco really well and we are rooming together; and Shamar, we have been playing together for the past two or three years so we have a good connection there and in the team practices we have been getting along really well and I think to have them on the team is a good addition."
Meanwhile, Wilson said he is eagerly awaiting the start of the tournament.
"It feels exciting, naturally, to go and represent your country which is the highest stage there is. Everybody wants to get to the stage where it’s the biggest thing to go represent your country, so I am really excited about that," he said.
The most experienced member of the team is Dr Mark Newnham is hoping he is able to inspire the team to give their best.
“What I bring to the team is not only that level of experience but in previous management as well as obviously physician capacities, I have been able to get the best out of the team and I am just looking forward,” he said.
“If you take out my age, we are talking about a very young group of players, talented, awesome and we just going to play and support each other and do Jamaica proud. The awesome talent that's there and how well we gell together is going really do well for our chances of bringing home the Hoerman Cup and the George Steele Trophy."
Williams Knibbs, a former amateur champion said he feels like he is ready to play his best golf at the tournament.
"I feel like I am rounding into form at the right time so physically the game is there so it is just for me to deal with it mentally and emotionally," he said.
The female team has been weakened by the unavailability of the four golfers who were named after the trials. This is because the date of the championship was changed to a later time in August and they are unable to get the time off from school. Fourteen-year Mattea Issa makes her debut on the senior team while Madelyn Newkirk, who represented Jamaica back in 2016, returns to the team.
Issa was happy to be called to the senior team for the first time.
"It feels great to represent my country. It's something that I have always wanted to do. It's a goal of mine to do at this age,” she said.
“Most of the people on my team are a lot older than me so being 14, I think is going to be a great learning experience and I am going to have a great time. My expectations for this tournament is to learn a lot and do the best as I can, shoot as best as I can and overall, end this tournament being a better golf player because I will be learning a lot from the rest of my teammates."
Meanwhile, team manager Robert Chin has high hopes for the team's chances at the championship.
"I think the men's team will do very well given the experience and given the fact that these guys have performed at the highest level in the Caribbean before so I do expect them to deliver. On the female side, a little short but it's what it is and we have to just play with what we have," he said.
Garnett and Martin share lead after opening round of Corales Puntacana Championship
With most of the world's top-ranked players at the WGC Match Play, Brice Garnett and Ben Martin lead the way after Thursday's opening round of the Corales Puntacana Championship.
Played in the Dominican Republic at the picturesque Puntacana Resort's Corales Golf Course, Martin and Garnett both shot bogey-free 66s to sit atop the leaderboard at six under.
While neither player has won a PGA Tour event since at least 2018, they both have a strong history at this event. Garnett's sole win on the tour came here in 2018, while Martin – whose only win came in 2014 – finished runner-up in Punta Cana last season.
Alone in third place is England's Matt Wallace at five under, and he is the only non-American in the top nine as Max McGreevy and Dylan Wu highlight the logjam at four under.
France's Martin Trainer and South Africa's Erik van Rooyen are part of the group tied for 10th at three under, with Belgium's Thomas Detry one further back at two under.
South American talents Emiliano Grillo of Argentina and Colombia's Camillo Villegas are at one under, while the Dominican Republic's own Juan Jose Guerra has a chance to make his first cut on the PGA Tour, sitting tied for 58th at one over.
Scheffler, McIlroy among the unbeaten after second round of WGC Match Play
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler got off to a great start at the WGC Match Play, remaining perfect through his first two round-robin matchups after defeating Alex Noren on Thursday.
Scheffler, the world number one, has shown a great affinity for the match play format, finishing runner-up to Billy Horschel in 2021 before knocking off Kevin Kisner in last season's final.
After sneaking past Davis Riley to open his week, Scheffler put his foot down against Noren, draining six birdies over the course of eight holes to run away with it.
Scheffler will advance as the winner of Group 1 with a win or tie against Tom Kim on Friday, while Rory McIlroy also has one foot in the knockout stage after his win against Denny McCarthy, with only Keegan Bradley standing in the way of the Northern Irishman completing a perfect Group 3 sweep.
Max Homa is sitting pretty as the only 2-0-0 competitor in Group 5 after getting the better of three-time finalist Kevin Kisner, meaning he will face Hideki Matsuyama for a chance to seal his path into the last-16.
Tony Finau moved to 2-0-0 in Group 2 with a convincing triumph over Adrian Meronk, while Jason Day beat Victor Perez to take a 2-0-0 record into his tantalising Group 9 clash against the 1-0-1 Collin Morikawa. The loser will be heading home.
Group 2 is up for grabs as Jon Rahm (1-1-0) needs to defeat Horschel (1-0-1) to give himself and Rickie Fowler (1-1-0) a chance to advance, while Jordan Spieth blew a late lead to hand control over Group 12 to Taylor Montgomery.
Xander Schauffele, J.T Poston, Kim Si-woo, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Andrew Putnam, J.J. Spaun and Lucas Herbert are all unbeaten heading into Friday's final round of group play.
Fraser McConnell caps off NitroRX season with podium finish as Dreyer & Reinbold claims team title
Jamaica’s lone rally cross driver Fraser McConnell capped off a fine 2022/23 Nitro Rally Cross season by finishing second in the season finale Group E Round 10 event at Glen Helen Raceway in California last weekend. McConnell demonstrated his tactical prowess during the damp six-lap final, only to be edged out by Dreyer&Reinbold Swedish teammate Robin Larsson, who took the final event in a time of 4:58:964.
Norway’s Andreas Bakkerud made it a clean sweep for team DRR after finishing third.
For his efforts, McConnell ended the overall championship third in Nitro RX 2022/23 and his contribution also allowed for team DRR to secure the team title which was pleasing for the Jamaican. “It has been a really great season in Nitro with me having a lot on the table and racing alongside people like Travis Pastrana, who is my childhood hero,” McConnell said.
“To be able to get third in the Championship with such a stacked field, was a big accomplishment for myself and Jamaica.”
McConnell entered the final day as one of the top five racers who were close in the championship standings. With Larsson eventually sewing up the championship, it was down to McConnell and Pastrana to see who would finish second and third, with the American just edging out the Jamaican in the last race of the season.
Following another successful season made possible by the support of sponsors Tru Shake, Just Bet, Proven Wealth, Jamaica Tourist Board and Rainforest Seafood, McConnell is already looking ahead to next season with his team in talks with the Nitro RX organizers to kick off the new season in June of this year.
“I am very happy with where I am at in my career and this past season really developed me as a driver. This shows that I can compete and beat the best in the world,” added McConnell.
After a break back home, McConnell will next turn his attention to the X44 Vida Carbon Racing, the Extreme E Team founded by Seven-Time Formula 1 Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton.
McConnell will join season-two winner and World Champion Cristina Gutiérrez as his race partner.
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