The two-man team of Sean Morris and Dr. Mark Newnham continued their winning ways on the third and final day of the Jamaica Golf Association’s (JGA) Four-Ball Trials at Caymanas Golf Club, and won the category for the qualifying sport for the Francis & Steel Perkins Trophy. This they did by twelve strokes after scoring three under par 69. They came into the final day with a ten stroke lead after posting six under par 66 on both day one and two. This gave them a whopping fifteen under par 201 for their three-day total. Their scorecard showed one eagle, three birdies and three bogeys on the front nine for a two under par 34. The back nine was much quieter as they posted just one birdie – hole number 15, for a one under par 35.
According to Morris “we started at 12 under par today (Sunday), maybe two or one shot clear of the second place positioned team. We knew we did not have to do much and that might have caused some complacency in our approach. We took the opportunity to work out our synergy and to see how deep we could get to in posting a similar score for the first two days. After we went bogey on seven and eight, it kinds cancelled the eagle we had at two and the birdie we had at six but we moved ahead of that slippage at seven and eight and we proceeded to take on the back nine where we carded a two under par round and put us at three under par for the day.”
Mark and I played very well.. We made the decision from the start to have formulated this team and also to be victorious so we would get the opportunity go and defend our title in October. We played very well. We synergized very well. We strategized very well and we played some awesome golf.”
The team of Phillip Prendergast and Owen Samuda had a decent final day, scoring one under par 71 for a three-day combined total of 213 (74, 68) but just could not challenge the leader.
The third place team of Radcliffe Knibbs and John O’Donoghue were five strokes further back on 218 after posting scores of 73, 75 and two under par 70 on the final day.
The top three teams that were in the running for the qualifying spot to represent Jamaica for the Higgs & Higgs Cup were led by Michael Boyd and Bert Tomlinson. They carded three under par 69 on the final day for their three-day total of two under par 214, which included 75 and 70 on the first and second day respectively.
Former JGA president Wayne Chai Chong teamed up with Rory Jardine to take the second spot. They ended with 218 overall after posting scores of 76, 70 and level par 72 on the final day.
Newly elected president of the JGA, Jodi Munn-Barrow had a good day on the course along with team mate Alison Reid who is the junior golf chairperson, to score four over par 76 for a combined total of 225. They posted 75 and 74 on the two previous days. They will represent Jamaica for the Marie Nunes Trophy that they won at the last Caribbean Golf Association’s Four-Ball championship which was played in Florida in 2019.
“(I am) very happy with how Alison and I played today. We didn’t get in any trouble. we didn’t get out of place on any hole and I thing we did a solid three-day tournament and I think we are both very happy with it.”
The final competing category, the Dessie Henry Trophy saw the team of long time national representative Maggi Lyn and Michele McCreath ending the trials on 232 after scoring 75, 76 and 81 over the three days.
The teams will now go into a period of intense preparation for the Caribbean Golf Association’s Four-Ball Championship which is scheduled to be held in Florida in October. In addition to the category trophies, Jamaica is also the defending champion for the country trophy dubbed the Ambrose Gouthro Trophy, which it won in 2019 for the first time. There was no championship in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
