Jamaica has once again asserted its dominance in Caribbean golf, clinching the Ambrose Gouthro Trophy for the fifth consecutive year at the Caribbean Golf Association’s 4-Ball Championship.
The tournament, hosted this year at Trinidad and Tobago’s Plantain Golf and Country Club, saw Jamaica emerge victorious with a commanding 73 points, well ahead of runner-up Trinidad and Tobago, which scored 56 points. This latest triumph continues Jamaica’s winning streak, which began in 2020 when they first captured the coveted cup.
Jamaica fielded the largest team in the tournament, with 20 golfers, surpassing the host nation’s 16. Competing across six categories, Jamaica claimed victory in four, took second place in another, and finished fifth in the remaining category, solidifying their standing over other teams from Bermuda, Bahamas, Barbados, and the Cayman Islands. Among the men’s teams, Jamaica achieved three first-place finishes and one fifth place, while the women’s teams claimed one top finish and a close second.
Impressive performance
In the senior men’s competition for the Francis Steele & Perkins Cup, Dr. Mark Newnham and Owen Samuda delivered an impressive performance, finishing at seven under par over three rounds, outperforming Bermuda’s one under par. Radcliff Knibbs and Keith Stein also impressed, taking home the Higgs & Higgs Trophy with a stunning 11 under par score, highlighted by two four-under-par rounds. Jamaica’s B team, consisting of Metry Seaga and Mike Glieckman, followed with a four-under-par finish, securing second place.
The Masters category saw Jamaica’s Dorrel Allen and Victor Hudson sharing the Ashraph Ali Trophy with the Bahamas, both teams finishing with a combined score of 220. However, the mid-amateur men’s Ramon Baez Romano Trophy went to Bermuda, with Jamaica placing fifth after a tough competition.
The women’s team also brought home a trophy: the duo of Michelle McCreath and Maggie Lyn secured the Dessie Henry Trophy in the 45 and over category, finishing 12 strokes ahead of Trinidad and Tobago. In the ladies 25 and over category for the Maria Nunes Trophy, Jamaica’s Jodi Munn-Barrow and Lisa Gardner took second place, just two strokes behind Trinidad and Tobago.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Jamaica Golf Association President Jodi Munn-Barrow expressed her pride in Jamaica’s continued success. “The team went out there and played hard despite tough, windy conditions. We stuck to our game plan, and I’m incredibly proud of each member. It’s a fantastic feeling to keep the Ambrose Gouthro Trophy in Jamaica for a fifth straight year,” Munn-Barrow shared.
