Jubilant Team Jamaica Arrive with 3 Trophies from 37th CAJGC

A jubilant Team Jamaica returned to the island recently, having secured three medals at the 37th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship (CAJGC), held at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico. The team captured one gold medal in the 18&U category and two bronze medals—one each in the 18&U and 13&U categories.

Co-captain Mattea Issa was elated to finally take home her first gold medal after years of being a runner-up in various categories since she began representing Jamaica at age 11 in the 13&U division. Competing in her final year as a junior, Issa clinched the coveted Peter Hale Trophy with scores of 83, 73, and 75—an overall total of 231.

“So it obviously means a lot. This is my last year as a junior, so it’s a very bittersweet moment,” Issa shared. “The team and I had an amazing time in Puerto Rico. The course was incredible, and just the people and the memories that you make at these tournaments are unforgettable. I’ll always remember the journey since I was 11—it’s been very special to finally get the win and bring it home.”

Kingston Burke, also in the 18&U category, earned her first CAJGC medal with a bronze. She posted round scores of 83, 77, and 77 for a combined total of 237.

In the 13&U division, Alessandra Coe secured the third medal for Jamaica with another bronze. In her final year representing the country in that age group, she scored 85, 80, and 81 for a total of 246.

“It was a great experience, especially in my last year in Under 13 Girls,” said Coe. “I’m happy I got third place because I’ve improved a lot. I didn’t have a good first day, but then I improved as the days went by.”

Joining Coe in the 13&U category was Francesca Black, who placed fifth with a score of 263.

In the 15&U girls’ division, Mallaina Williams finished seventh, scoring 86 in both the first and second rounds, and 84 in the final round.

Co-captain Ryan Lue, also aging out of the junior ranks, represented Jamaica strongly across multiple age group categories over the years. This year, he posted the team’s best single-round score with an even-par 72 on Day 1, sitting second at that point. However, he ultimately finished 14th with a total of 240.

“It’s alright, I didn’t play as good as I wanted to, but I’m glad the team did well,” Lue commented.

The top-placed Jamaican male was Kemari Morris, who secured fourth place in the 15&U category with rounds of 74, 80, and 78, totaling 262.

Cameron Coe, also competing in the 15&U category, placed 15th with a total score of 266.

In the boys’ 13&U category, Shasa Redlefsen placed seventh with a final score of 241.

Head coach Jonathan Newnham expressed pride in the performance of the nine-member team, which included five girls and four boys.

“The championship was good. We knew that the team championship itself would be tricky because of the limited players, but we focused on trying to bring home some individual trophies,” said Newnham. “We were able to bring home a championship with Mattea, and two third-place finishes with Kingston and Ale, which was great. Kemari just finished outside the medals, but across the board, the boys gave great effort. I’m really proud of how everybody stayed in it for 54 holes and did their best.”