Barbadian?and regional golfers are still celebrating after outstanding performances in the 30th annual United Insurance Barbados Open Golf Championships.
Like fish to water, male and female golfers fully enjoyed this year’s special edition of the championships that featured play on four different courses – Apes Hill, the Barbados Golf Club, The Country Club at Sandy Lane and Royal Westmoreland.
Exciting tussles in the tournament concluded on Sunday at Royal Westmoreland where awards and rewards were presented in a well attended, inter-active ceremony hosted by sponsors United Insurance and organizers, the Barbados Golf Association.
Marketing manager of United Insurance, Sharron Alleyne-Elcock, praised the players, volunteers and organizers for making the tournament a success and pledged her company’s ongoing sponsorship of the major event.
“This year was an important milestone for the Barbados Open and we wanted to raise the bar. I think we achieved that and maintained the tradition of excellence,” she said.
Golf Association president Hadley Byer thanked sponsors for helping to make the 30th Open a special edition and lauded the players and management of the four golf courses for contributing to four exciting days of play.
Byer said that about 145 players took part in the six divisions of the Open and that the professional segment, played at Apes Hill, was a tremendous success that saw the winner being decided in a play-off.
Among the amateurs, at the end of 54 holes of competition, Barbados’ top player James Johnson (219) won the men’s championship for the 12th time in 16 years, while national player Rae “Muffin” Stollmeyer (229) won the women’s championship for the second consecutive year.
Players from Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts, Antigua, St Maarten, Barbados, Martinique, Canada, the United States and England took part in the tournament.
Other winners were:
Men’s 1st Flight: Rodney Phillips (TT) – gross 246; Men’s 2nd Flight: Jean-Marc Greaux (St Maarten) – gross 270; Women’s 1st Flight: Cherisia Irvine (Tobago) – 274; Senior Men: Robert Piggott (Barbados) – 230; Super Seniors (over 60 years): Bill Weir (Barbados) – (225) .
Nett winners – (Handicap in brackets):
Men’s Championship: Bobby Edghill (5) – 216; Men’s 1st Flight: Andre Jonoha (18) – 213; Men’s 2nd Flight: Hank Lucas (26)- 220; Senior Men: Sherland Forde (9) – 214; Super Seniors: Hosein Nazir (13) – 204.
Women’s Championship: Tori-Ann Baptiste (11) – 212; Women’s 1st Flight: Zerina Belgrave (28) – 211. (BB)
