Junior golfers hope to make use of 'home advantage'

Published: Tuesday | June 30, 2009


When the 22nd Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship tees off on Tuesday, July 7, at Cinnamon Hill Golf Course in Montego Bay, Jamaica could benefit from home-course advantage according to manager Dr Mark Newnham.

In a briefing last Tuesday Newnham told the media that "home advantage is a big deal", and "our kids feel at home at Cinnamon Hill".

Jamaica finished fourth in 2008 with 10 of a possible 14 member team, its best showing in the last 10 years.

The championship, which is scheduled for July 5-10 at the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course in Montego Bay, will see actual competition taking place between July 7 and 9 on the par 72 course for a 54-hole championship.

Team Jamaica is expected to get stiff competition from defending champions Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and the Dominica Republic.

Nine countries will vie for the overall team trophy, and six-age group trophies (three each for boys and girls), including the James Moss-Solomon Trophy for Boys 16-17. There will be three categories, 13 and Under - Boy and Girls, 14-15 - Boys and Girls, and 16-17 - Boys and Girls.

The other participating countries will be The Cayman Islands, Barbados, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States countries, Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

Jamaica's delegation, which was selected earlier this year at the national trials, will be led by 13-year-old Jonathan Newnham, who was the youngest golfer to represent Jamaica at the senior level in 2008.

Also on the Jamaican team is Vitorria Marley, who at 15 years is the youngest female golfer to represent Jamaica at the senior level. Both golfers represented Jamaica last year in the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship in the Cayman Islands.

The full team, including the reserves, are 13 and Under Boys - Oshane Hayer, Michael Wilmott and Dwight Moulton (reserve); 13 and Under Girls - Danielle Morris and Jayda Thompson; 14-15 Boys: Jonathan Newnham, Ian Facey, William Knibbs and Zachary Chong (reserve); 14-15 Girls, Rochelle Price, Zainab James and Cristal Gayle (reserve); 16-17, Boys Geoffrey Chong, Robert Grant, Jordan Thompson and Lawrence Bailey (reserve) and 16-17 Girls: Vitorria Marley and Shaneil McLoud.