In a thrilling three-day competition at the Tryall Golf Course in Hanover, USA’s Andrew Arft emerged victorious in the 56th Jamaica Open Golf Championship, securing the title with a one-stroke lead.
Arft led throughout the tournament, posting scores of six under par 66, even par 72, and one under par 71 for a combined score of seven under par 209. He credited his Caddy, Jason Richards, for his valuable assistance in securing the win and expressed satisfaction with his late decision to enter the championship, which earned him a prize of US$20,000. Arft expressed his intention to return to defend his title.
Dominic Piccirillo claimed the second spot with a score of 210, just one stroke behind Arft. Piccirillo consistently posted under-par scores for all three days (71, 71, 68). Josh Anderson, who was in second place after the second day, finished third with a score of 211, tied with Blake Wagoner (72, 70, 69).
Notably, the top six golfers in the professional category were all Americans.
Sean Morris clinches amateur title
In the amateur section, Jamaica’s Sean Morris rallied from second place on the second day to clinch the title, finishing at 17 over par 233 (75, 82, 76). Oshae Haye was the runner-up, just two strokes behind Morris, with a score of 235 (75, 78, 82). Junior player Trey Williams secured third place with a score of 245 (78, 81, 82).
Chris Richards of Trinidad & Tobago secured victory in the Senior Pro section for the second consecutive year, posting a total score of two over par 218 (70, 76, 72). Second place went to Canada’s Kent Fukushima with a score of 222 (74, 78, 70), while Jamaica’s Ian Campbell finished third with a score of 240 (80, 79, 81).
In the Senior Amateur section, Canada’s Robert Sterling emerged victorious with a combined score of 244 for the three days. Jamaica’s Dr. Mark Newnham and Dr. William Lee secured second and third place, respectively, with scores of 245 and 250.
The event was sponsored by Aqua Bay Resort as the presenting sponsor, with support from TEF, Tryall, JTB, Digicel Business, Jamaica Tours, Grand Palladium, SDF, Fidelity Motors, Coldwell Bankers Reality Jamaica, Ultra Financiers, and GK Mutual Funds.
