Lucas Glover eclipsed Patrick Cantlay in a playoff to win the FedEx St Jude Championship and claim a second straight PGA Tour victory.

The American duo were forced into an extra hole in Memphis after each completing 72 holes on 15 under par.

Glover, 43, ultimately claimed victory with a par on the 18th hole playoff after Cantlay found water off the tee.

Speaking after his victory, which comes just a week after he took out Wyndham Championship, Glover said: “If you would have told me this three months ago, I’d tell you you’re crazy.

“But at the same time, if you asked me legitimately did I think I was capable, I’d say yes, even then. It’s just one of those sad ways athletes are wired.

“We always believe in ourselves no matter how bad it is.”

Glover was ranked 119th in the world prior to the Wyndham Championship, but now sits 30th.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and England’s Tommy Fleetwood finished agonisingly close, but had to settle for equal-third on 14 under par.

Fleetwood was unable to sink a birdie chance on his last hole which would have propelled him into the playoff.

Charley Hull fell short in her bid for a first major title as American Lilia Vu produced a brilliant final-round 67 to win the AIG Women’s Open by six shots.

England’s Hull began the day tied for the lead with Vu but while the latter posted a serene five-under-par total at Walton Heath to clinch her second major, the home favourite finished with a one-over-par 73.

Vu, who won the first major of the year in April at the Chevron Championship, made six birdies, dropping her only shot on the 15th, and was never seriously threatened after Hull had bogeyed the fourth and fifth holes.

Hull, who finished joint-second at the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach in July, was unable to kick-start her challenge until a brilliant eagle at the 11th.

That took her to within two shots of Vu, but two more dropped shots at the 15th and 17th scuppered her hopes.

The 27-year-old finished with a flurry, saving par at the 18th with a monster putt having driven from the rough into a bunker, but Vu sealed a comfortable win with another birdie.

The overnight joint-leaders started the final round one shot clear of American Angel Yin and South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo, but former world number one and two-time Open winner Jiyai Shin sealed third place with a final round of 70.

Shin finished one shot clear of fellow South Koreans Amy Yang (70) and Kim (74), while American trio Allisen Corpuz, Ally Ewing and Yin were tied in sixth place.

Hull paid the price for two dropped shots on the fourth and fifth, finding herself three shots adrift of Vu, who had birdied the second, heading into the fifth.

Vu’s lead was cut to two shots when Hull produced a superb eagle at the par-five 11th, holing from the greenside sand before shrieking in celebration and stumbling on her way out of the bunker, but the 25-year-old Californian showed nerves of steel and responded with a birdie at the 12th.

Both players bogeyed the 15th before Vu extended her advantage with birdies at 16th and 18th, while Hull faltered as dropped shots at the 15th and 17th sandwiched her only birdie of the day at the 16th.

Play was briefly interrupted when protesters let off flares on the 17th after Vu and Hull had both completed the hole, with those involved led away by police and security staff.

American Lucas Glover continued his strong form in Memphis, finishing the third day on top of the leaderboard with England’s Tommy Fleetwood just two strokes behind in third.

Glover shot a four-under par 66 with five birdies and a bogey to keep his lead in the FedEx Cup, with American Taylor Moore just one stroke behind in second after hitting 65.

The 43-year-old said it was a scrappy day but he got “a lot out of what I had”.

“Three months ago if I’d have been mad at 66, or if you told me I’d be mad at 66, I’d say you were crazy,” Glover said.

“Just iron a few things out and wake up tomorrow a little more confident than I am right now and see where we are.”

Fleetwood held on to his spot in outright third with seven birdies and three bogeys as he searches for his first win in America.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy moved up two places into equal sixth, five strokes off the lead, after he hit a two-under par 68 with six birdies and four bogeys.

McIlroy said he has been stuck in “neutral” but hopes to move into contention on the tournament’s final day.

“Five back going into tomorrow, I feel like I could catch fire and hopefully make a run,” he said.

England’s Charley Hull shares the lead with American Lilia Vu going into Sunday’s final round at the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath.

Home favourite Hull, 27, carded a second successive four-under par 68 in the third round on Saturday, which included three straight birdies from the 15th, to sit level with Vu on nine under for the tournament.

Hull had trailed American overnight leader Ally Ewing by five shots at the start of the day before six birdies in total – tarnished by bogeys at the second and 14th – left her level with Vu, who shot a 67.

Three-time European Tour winner Hull told the LPGA website: “It was really good. Obviously it was so windy today, but we dug deep.

“I struck the ball pretty well. I was pretty confident and felt good out there, and I’m pretty proud of myself. I can’t wait to get back in the bath and just chill tonight. Another late tee time tomorrow.

“I’ve played the course a few more times and now I just feel excited and comfortable and just really enjoying it. Golf is a game. It’s a sport and you play it because it’s fun, and I just enjoy it.”

Vu, who won the first major of the year in April, the Chevron Championship, made seven birdies and two bogeys, and the joint leaders hold a one-shot lead over American Angel Yin (67) and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim (68).

Ewing, who finished the day with a three-over-par 75 after six bogeys and three birdies, slipped to fifth place, two shots behind Hull and Vu.

Sweden’s Linn Grant will start the final day three shots behind the joint leaders after following up Friday’s 69 with a 68, while South Korea’s Jiyai Shin and American Andrea Lee are four behind on five under.

Hull finished the first nine holes on one under after birdies at the first and eighth sandwiched a birdie on the second.

A bogey at the 14th followed her third birdie of the day at the 11th and left her one shot behind Vu, who also dropped a shot at the 14th.

But Hull then rattled off birdies at the 15th, 16th and 17th to leave her well placed to challenge for her first major title going into the final round.

Tiger Woods won the 13th major of his career at the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Oklahoma on this day in 2007.

The world number one successfully defended his title after a final-round 69 proved enough to hold off his rivals and maintain his amazing record of having won every major in which he has led heading into the final round.

Woods began the day with a three-shot advantage over Stephen Ames but he soon disappeared from contention as Ernie Els and Woody Austin emerged as the main challengers.

The lead was up to five from Els after eight holes but a bogey at nine and a birdie for the South African at 10 cut that back to three.

However, Els bogeyed the 12th but the gap was back to three when the South African birdied the long 13th.

And when he then holed a six-footer at the next par three he was within two of Woods, with Austin moving alongside him after three birdies in a row from the turn.

Woods then bogeyed the 14th after his short putt lipped out and his advantage was just one from Austin after Els bogeyed the 16th.

Typically, however, the world number one clawed that shot back at the next with a 14-foot birdie putt.

Els finished with two pars for a final-round 66 to finish five under and when Austin failed to hole a birdie putt from long distance on the 18th he closed with a 67 to be second on six under.

That left Woods to get down in four from the middle of the 18th fairway and he found the centre of the green and two putted for his fourth US PGA victory.

Woods has since gone on to win two more majors, the 2008 US Open and his remarkable comeback victory, aged 43, at the Masters in 2019.

American Ally Ewing admitted she had been inspired by Brian Harman’s Open triumph as she mirrored his progress towards a maiden major title in the AIG Women’s Open.

Ewing, who held a one-shot lead following an opening 68 completed late on Thursday, was among the early starters on Friday and stormed clear of the field with a birdie on the third and four in a row from the sixth to be out in 30.

The 30-year-old from Mississippi also picked up further shots on the 11th and 16th before dropping her only shot of the day on the last to complete a superb 66 at Walton Heath.

At 10 under par Ewing enjoyed a five-shot lead over compatriot Andrea Lee, home favourite Charley Hull and Japan’s Minami Katsu, with South Korea’s Kim Hyo-Joo, Lilia Vu, Alison Lee and Gaby Lopez all on four under.

The similarities with Harman’s victory at Royal Liverpool were hard to ignore, with Harman leading by five at halfway on 10 under, maintaining his advantage following the third round and eventually winning by six.

Ewing also revealed she shared Harman’s much-publicised passion for hunting, along with a nickname for their different college teams.

“He’s a bulldog but he’s a Georgia bulldog,” Ewing said. “I’m a Mississippi State Bulldog. I guess we have that in common.

“But yeah, it’s pretty cool, southern guy, I’m southern, just a little Mississippi girl. It is inspiring, what he did.

“I actually do some hunting. I know that’s probably not going to be interpreted well by the media but I do, yes. For the most part my family, my husband and I, we do mostly deer hunting, so venison.”

Asked what it would mean to win a maiden major title this weekend, Ewing added: “It would be huge. It’s something I’ve obviously circled as something I want to accomplish in my career.

“I’ve had possible chances to do that, I’ve been in the last group, so for me it’s just going to be (about) leaning on that a little bit as well as leaning on the confidence I have in my game right now.”

Hull followed an opening 71 with four birdies in a flawless second round of 68 as she overcame the changeable conditions for the afternoon starters.

“It was quite tricky out there today,” Hull said. “It was a bit windy, a bit rainy, we had a bit of all the four seasons out there.

“But I’m pretty happy and it was good to finish with a few birdies coming in. It was quite hard to hit it close to the pins because it was windy and I’m hitting a bit of a draw at the minute.

“But I’m happy how I hit it off the tee and holed some long putts and I’m buzzing for the next few rounds.”

Vu won the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, in April, but a tie for 35th in last week’s Scottish Open is her best finish in a strokeplay event since then.

“I feel like post-Chevron Championship I’ve been struggling a little bit and to finally, hopefully, be in contention by the end of today just feels really rewarding,” Vu said.

“I think every time I get in my own way, it’s when I’m too focused on winning.

“But if I just focus on playing my game then I’m in a good position to try and win instead of just getting really upset if I mess up on a hole, and I did that last week.

“I got upset when I was playing well, and then just couldn’t hold it together after because I thought it was just over. And I’m just trying to be in a better mindset this week.”

American Ally Ewing set a daunting clubhouse target on day two of the AIG Women’s Open thanks to a brilliant second round at Walton Heath.

Ewing, who held a one-shot lead following an opening 68 completed late on Thursday, was among the early starters on Friday and stormed clear of the field with a birdie on the third and four in a row from the sixth to be out in 30.

The 30-year-old from Mississippi also picked up further shots on the 11th and 16th before dropping her only shot of the day on the last to complete a superb 66.

“I just kept trying to stay in the now, stay in the present, which is one shot at a time for me and fortunately those shots yielded a lot of really good opportunities I was able to capitalise on,” Ewing said.

“That stretch of golf (on the front nine) was really, really good and just a really solid day overall.”

Asked what it would mean to win a maiden major title this weekend, Ewing added: “It would be huge. It’s something I’ve obviously circled as something I want to accomplish in my career.

“I’ve had possible chances to do that, I’ve been in the last group, so for me it’s just going to be (about) leaning on that a little bit as well as leaning on the confidence I have in my game right now.”

At 10 under par Ewing enjoyed a five-shot lead over compatriot Andrea Lee and Japan’s Minami Katsu, with South Korea’s Kim Hyo-Joo and Lilia Vu another stroke back on four under.

Vu won the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, in April but a tie for 35th in last week’s Scottish Open is her best finish in a strokeplay event since then.

“I feel like post-Chevron Championship I’ve been struggling a little bit and to finally, hopefully, be in contention by the end of today just feels really rewarding,” Vu said.

“I think every time I get in my own way, it’s when I’m too focused on winning.

“But if I just focus on playing my game then I’m in a good position to try and win instead of just getting really upset if I mess up on a hole, and I did that last week.

“I got upset when I was playing well, and then just couldn’t hold it together after because I thought it was just over. And I’m just trying to be in a better mindset this week.”

Jordan Spieth topped the leaderboard after round one of the FedEx St Jude Championship, where he scored seven under par with a score of 63.

He goes into round two in Memphis leading Tom Kim by one shot and admitted he has been working on his putting.

“Quite a bit of putting. I played really well at the British. Tee to green, I played well enough to win,” he said afterwards.

“I didn’t feel like I missed many of my lines. I just couldn’t quite get the matching of the line and speed on the greens.

“Now we come to slopey Bermuda and very fast slopey Bermuda where I feel a little more comfortable picking lines and kind of feeding the ball in using gravity.

“I think that helped, along with quite a bit of work as best I could in Texas right now, which is really from the hours of 7:00 a.m to noon before it’s almost unbearable.

“Just tightened some things up. I tried to play a lot just to shoot scores. I had kind of taken off playing a bunch, and I think that that helped a bit in the last couple weeks.”

England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai are the best of the British contingent, closing out Thursday on four under par.

Rory McIlroy sits a shot back on three under, after the Northern Irishman split three bogeys with four birdies and an eagle.

Rory McIlroy has thanked Tiger Woods for easing the burden on his fellow players by joining the PGA Tour’s policy board in response to anger at the proposed deal between golf’s rival factions.

Woods and McIlroy have been the biggest advocates of the established tours in their battle with LIV Golf, but were kept in the dark before the shock announcement of a deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV.

Masters champion Jon Rahm said players felt a sense of “betrayal” that the deal was negotiated in secret, with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan facing calls to resign when the Framework Agreement was revealed on June 6.

Woods becoming a player-director is part of what the PGA Tour announced last week as a new agreement “to ensure that the Tour lives up to its mission of being a player-driven organisation, for the players, by the players”.

It means the new board will be made up of six player-directors, five independent directors – including a replacement for Randall Stephenson, who resigned over “serious concerns” about the deal last month – and the PGA of America director.

Woods, 47, has not played since withdrawing from April’s Masters and concedes his playing opportunities will be extremely limited going forward, but the 15-time major winner remains a hugely influential figure in the game.

McIlroy, who is also on the policy board with Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati, said: “It’s a great addition.

“The player that, especially over the last 20 years, has left the biggest legacy on the game, for him to be involved in the discussions around the future of professional golf and what that may look like is very important.

“Tiger’s stepped up for all of us on Tour and I think he realises all the players on the policy board are trying to play regular golf and at the same time trying to navigate all these different things as well, so he’s maybe got a little bit more time on his hands than we do.

“So for him to step up and sort of take a little bit of the load off us is very much appreciated.”

McIlroy was speaking in a press conference ahead of this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship as he bids to win the overall FedEx Cup title for a fourth time.

The 34-year-old has brought an old putter out of his garage to use at TPC Southwind in Memphis as he tries to overhaul Masters champion Jon Rahm and world number one Scottie Scheffler at the top of the standings.

“I sort of treat it like a 12-round tournament,” McIlroy added of the play-offs format. “You’ve got 12 rounds to play, and you’re trying to go out there and get the best out of yourself for those 12 days.

“I missed the cut here last year and then was able to bounce back with a good finish at the BMW (Championship) and then go on and win the Tour Championship.

“If you’re up there in the standings, at least you know you’ve got a little bit of wiggle room. Going into the Tour Championship, if you’re sort of within four of the lead starting on Thursday, I think you’re in a really good spot.”

McIlroy’s place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team for this year’s contest in Rome was officially confirmed on Wednesday, along with that of Rahm, but the Northern Irishman’s preparation will be somewhat unorthodox.

After the PGA Tour season finishes McIlroy will return to Europe for the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, but added with a smile: “I’ve got a buddy’s bachelor party in Mykonos after Wentworth for a few days and then I have a few days to dry out before the Ryder Cup.”

Ireland’s Leona Maguire hopes she has learned a valuable lesson from her experience of leading a major championship as she bids to win the AIG Women’s Open.

Maguire held a one-shot lead after 36 and 54 holes of the KPMG Women’s Championship at Baltusrol in June, having won her second LPGA Tour title just days earlier.

A third 69 of the week in the final round would have been enough to make Maguire the first female Irish player to win a major, but the 28-year-old could only card a closing 74 to slip into a tie for 11th.

“I think at Baltusrol I put three really good rounds together,” Maguire said ahead of the year’s final major at Walton Heath.

“I think I had had seven rounds in the 60s (in succession) leading into that final day so I was playing really nice golf.

“I think the win the week before took a lot out of me. I was quite drained come Sunday and just didn’t have enough in the tank to get over the line.

“It was obviously a new learning experience, to be in that situation in the lead and the last group on Saturday and Sunday and sort of the emotions and everything that went along with that.

“I’d like to think that if I get myself in that position again, I’ll approach it a little differently and I’ll have learned from that experience.”

Maguire can also draw on the experiences of her male counterparts, with the likes of three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, former Open champion Shane Lowry and 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley happy to offer advice.

“Padraig’s been quite generous with his time and his advice,” Maguire added.

“(I’ve) chatted to Shane and chatted to Paul McGinley, he has been a big help as well. He was our captain at the Rio Olympics and has been a big help with advice.

“To be fair they all shared their knowledge in different ways and they have all had very different experiences and I’ve kind of leaned on all of them at different times for different bits of advice.”

Maguire feels keeping the ball out of the heather will be the key to success this week and world number one Nelly Korda was in full agreement after tangling with it in practice.

“Yeah, almost broke my wrist today,” the Olympic champion said with a smile.

“It’s not easy. It’s really bouncy. If you get a good lie, then maybe (you can advance the ball) but I would say 95 per cent of the time you will be pitching out with a 58 degree (wedge) just to try to get it back into play.

“It’s really tough to get out of that.”

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda will be in action at Walton Heath for the first time since being disqualified from the Evian Championship for refusing to accept a two-shot penalty for slow play, with Korda backing the decision to hand out sanctions.

“I really like Carlotta. She’s a great person. I enjoy playing with her,” Korda said.

“I am a fast player, but I would say at the end of the day the Rules of Golf are the Rules of Golf, and it’s good that it’s being enforced.

“I mean, if I’m being honest, if I was a spectator and I was out here for five and a half to six hours, you know, it’s tough to watch, right. You want to watch a sport that’s continuously moving and not continuously stalling.”

The R&A announced on Wednesday that AIG will continue as title sponsor of the Women’s Open through 2030, with Royal Lytham also named as the host venue for 2026.

This year’s total prize fund will be 9 million US dollars (£7.1million), a 23 per cent increase on 2022. The 2023 champion will earn 1.35 million US dollars (£1.1m).

Bryson DeChambeau hailed “one of the best rounds of golf I have ever played in my life” after he shot a record-breaking 58 to win the LIV Golf Greenbrier title.

The 29-year-old American needed to par the last hole to become the first LIV player to break 60, but finished with a birdie two to claim his first title on the new tour.

DeChambeau later tweeted: “It’s been a long time coming. This is one of the best rounds of golf I have ever played in my life. I can’t thank my team enough and sticking with me through the process.

“Today may have been history, but this is just the beginning. Let’s keep it going.”

DeChambeau carded 13 birdies and a single bogey to finish on 23 under par after 54 holes, six shots clear of Mito Pereira in second place.

It was his first victory since the death of his father Jon at the age of 63 in November last year.

Speaking at the greenside, DeChambeau said in a video tweeted by LIV Golf: “He was with me out there all day today, no doubt.

“It has been a really difficult couple of years, but doing it this way and finishing out with a 58… it’s just amazing what I was able to do. I’m super excited.”

Shane Lowry feels he might be “owed” a little good luck in the FedEx Cup play-offs as he battles to qualify for the post-season for a fifth straight year.

The former Open champion is ranked 76th in the standings and needs to climb inside the top 70 at the Wyndham Championship after the field for next week’s first play-off event was reduced from 125.

The top 50 after the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis will then advance to the BMW Championship, with only the top 30 making it to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

“It’s funny, I feel like I’ve been in situations like this quite a bit over the last number of years,” Lowry said in a pre-tournament press conference at Sedgefield Country Club.

“I missed out on the Tour Championship by one spot last year, by two shots in 2019. I remember playing here one year, I’d been told I needed a top 10 to get to the play-offs, I finished seventh and I missed out by one point.

“So I feel like the play-offs nearly owes me one at this stage, so that’s what I’m trying to tell myself this year.

“I feel like I’ve been playing some pretty good golf most of the year. I’m coming off the back of a pretty bad week at The Open, which I was very disappointed with, but I had a nice holiday with my family last week to kind of regroup and hopefully get going again this week.”

Lowry has recorded just one top 10 on the PGA Tour this season and, although three of his eight top 20s came in the majors, the top-heavy points structure has not done him any favours.

“I think there’s been a lot of good, not much great (golf), which on the PGA Tour doesn’t cut it,” the world number 30 said.

“I think I’ve had a lot of top-20 finishes, but you need those great weeks, you need those top fives to move up the FedEx Cup points list.

“It’s been an interesting year for me. The way the schedule is with the designated events I feel like I’ve played some places that I wouldn’t normally play and I’ve had to miss tournaments that I normally like to play.

“But I’m here now and I want to play well and I want to get into next week and I want to make a run in the play-offs.

“Memphis is a course that I like playing and I’ve played all right in the past, so if I can get there, I know I can make a run there. I certainly don’t want to be sitting at home on my couch watching the play-offs.

“It’s a lot of motivation for me this week to play good golf and hopefully get my rewards at the end of it. I still feel like I can make the Tour Championship.”

Europe captain Luke Donald has named former skipper Jose Maria Olazabal as his fourth vice-captain for this year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.

Olazabal enjoyed a stellar playing career in the biennial contest against the United States before leading his side to victory in the famous ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012.

The 57-year-old won a total of 20.5 points in his seven appearances, with 12 of those coming from 15 matches in partnership with fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros.

Olazabal, who was also vice-captain in 2008, 2010 and 2014, joins Thomas Bjorn, Edoardo Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts in Donald’s backroom team.

The two-time Masters champion said: “With my previous experiences in the Ryder Cup I am obviously thrilled to be back involved once again.

“I am really looking forward to feeling that special adrenaline flow, the intensity and the electricity that only the Ryder Cup can bring.

“It was a very nice surprise to be asked by Luke. I didn’t expect it, but I was delighted when the call came.

“I have no doubts that Luke will be a great captain. He has played in the Ryder Cup four times and won four times and he therefore knows what is required to perform well in the match.”

Donald, who was sent out first by Olazabal in the Sunday singles at Medinah, said: “To know he had that respect and confidence in me to go out and lead Europe in such a pressurised last-day environment meant a lot and this feels, perhaps, that I am returning that favour a little bit, as I have a huge amount of confidence in him.

“Just his mere presence brings energy to any Ryder Cup environment and I saw that first hand when I asked him to be involved in the Hero Cup we staged in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of this year.

“He was such a big part of that week, being with the players and sharing stories with them of just what the Ryder Cup is all about.

“People notice when Jose Maria walks into a room and you could see at the Hero Cup how much everyone respected him and admired him for all he’s done in the game. I could not be more excited to have him on my team.”

Two-time major winner Justin Thomas insists great things are coming despite his recent poor form as he prepares for the 3M Open this week.

Thomas made a miserable exit from the Open last week at Hoylake after not making the cut, shooting a score of 11 over par, and questions over his form have been asked recently.

The American is also fighting for his place in the Ryder Cup which gets underway at the end of September.

Thomas has been a key member for Team USA for the last two editions but has missed four cuts in his last six tournaments and is currently 13th in the qualification standings.

But Thomas thinks good things are around the corner and told a press conference: “I really feel like great things are coming.

“Obviously I’ve had not very many results or not much positives to show. I’ve played a lot better golf than I feel like the scores and finishes have shown. I mean, it was just a couple events ago in the Travelers I finished in the top 10.

“I’m doing a lot of things pretty well. I’ve got to kind of just get over that hurdle. Feel like I’m very, very close, I am. Hopefully this is the week that it all clicks and comes together.”

Thomas requires a late push to qualify for the FedEx Cup play-offs as he sits five places outside the top 70, alongside fellow big name Shane Lowry who is also pushing for a position.

Thomas continued: “I feel like I’m just right there to kind of break it through – a little inner confidence or mojo, if you will.

“I’m not going to get that at home sitting on the couch, so I just kind of need to play my way through it a little bit.

“First off, this is an unbelievable opportunity for me, kind of behind the eight-ball, and my end goal is to make the Tour Championship like it is every year.

“It’s not like I’m just playing to try to get into the first play-offs event. I want to be in Atlanta and I’m going to have to get there somehow.”

An upbeat Jamaica senior team of mostly junior golfers departed the island on Sunday for the 66th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship in the Trinidad & Tobago between July 27 to 29.  

The four female members of the team are Jodi Munn-Barrow, juniors Emily Mayne, Mattea Issa and the only new comer Anoushka Katri, who played in the U15 category this year on the junior team. 

Many-time national representative Jodi Munn-Barrow, president of the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) and the secretary of the Caribbean Golf Association, expects Jamaica to do well in this year. 

"I expect the team to perform well. They know each other. Most of them played last year together. The camaraderie is high. Everybody really wants go out there and make Jamaica proud and that's all we can ask of them. It's very good to see that six of the ten players are juniors so that's very good for our programme," said Munn-Barrow. 

In terms of her own game she said, "well from my side, I am hoping to bring some experience to help the girls as best as I can, of course to go out there and try my best." 

Mayne who captained the team that carried home George Teale Trophy last year said "I am hoping to play well. I am hoping to bring home a trophy again as last year the women's team won the trophy. So, I am just hoping that we can really build some team spirit and help everyone play well so we can bring home the trophy." 

The male members of the team are Justin Burrowes - captain, Zandre Roye who returns to the team after a number of years; juniors Rocco Lopez, Aman Dhiman and Ryan Lue. The sixth player, William Knibbs is already in Trinidad & Tobago and will participate in the two practice rounds prior to the start of the championship. The male team placed fourth in 2022. 

"I think I am pretty prepared. The last four five months I have not been in Jamaica. I changed my base to the States. I have been playing golf every single day, practicing every single day. I have been really working on my short game which always need a bit of work. I am looking forward to this week. I am always honoured to represent my country," said Burrowes. 

Junior golfer, Lopez, will be following his coach's instruction "to not expect anything, just go out there and try my best and whatever happens, happens but I expect to play well because I have been practicing very hard and I am excited to play." 

Dr. Mark Newnham, the team manager was upbeat about the team's chances to do well this year. 

"This year I think we have the perfect team, perfect of young enthusiastic hungry talent with the right mix of experience. I am not going to call anybody older but let's say wiser, so we have that perfect mix. We are looking forward to building on the success of last year. Our women's division took home the top prize so we are just looking forward this year to representing and doing better than last year." 

He also said that the men are motivated to put on a special performance this year, led by Burrowes who plans to go pro next year and wants to go out with a bang as an amateur. 

The team received sponsorship support from the Jamaica Olympic Association.

 

 

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