Uncomfortable weather (rain and wind) was the order of the day as the 19th Caribbean Junior Golf Championships in Puerto Rico at the Westin Rio Mar beach Golf Resort and Spa, got underway on Wednesday. The Bahamas ended the first day of competition in second place.
The local players had a total of 43.5 points, just enough to hold of Trinidad and Tobago that was only two points behind in second with 41.5 points. Puerto Rico was out front with 51 points.
Despite the weather when the competition began players taking to the course made the necessary adjustments.
In the boys 12-under division, Benjamin Davis Jr. shot an 83 to tie for the lead with Warren Bynoe of Barbados.
Jamaica’s Jonathan Newman was third with a score of 84. Rasheed Robinson from the Bahamas was 14th with a score of 103.
In the Boys 16-18 division, Bahamian Scott McDougal is the defending Caribbean Jr. Champion from 2005, but Ricardo Davis Jr. defeated him at the Bahamas Nationals in April. This suggests that the Bahamas has a great chance to win the division again this year.
After the first 18 holes in Puerto Rico, Davis and McDougal shared the third best score of the day with 79s. The best score in their division was a 73.
Home town golfer Rafael Campos accomplished that feat over the 6,700 plus yards at the Ocean Course. Campos overcame three bogeys with birdies on holes Nos. 11 and 17
In the 13-15 Boys Kristian McSweney shot an 80 and was tied for sixth while Richard Gibson Jr. playing in the same division was 18th after the first round. He shot a 91. The top player, Wilson Rancier from the Dominican Republic, shot a 76. Puerto Rico’s Javier Godoy was second with a first round score of 77 and Jamaica’s Wesley Brown shot a 78 for third.
In the girls 16-18 division, Elena Hutchinson is playing well and she sat in the second spot tied with Tracey Clarke from Trinidad and Tobago going into Thursday’s second round. They both shot 85s on Wednesday.
The leader, Martine De Gannes from Trinidad and Tobago, shot a 77.
Also competing in the girls 16-18 division, Danielle Robinson is having a tough time dealing with the weather. She shot a 101 and began the second round at the bottom of the group in ninth place.
Annamae Adderley was in the third position heading into day-two after shooting an 87. Patricia Garcia from Puerto Rico shot an 83 and Kyle Roig also from Puerto Rico shot an 84 to hold down the number one and two spots on the scoreboard.
The other Bahamian in the field, Eugenie Adderley was good for a 92 on the first day and that landed her in sixth.
The 12-under division has a nine-hole format. Taneka Sandiford shot a 53 to hold down the sixth position after the first round. Maria Torres and her teammate Paola Robles from Puerto were out front with scores of 39 and 42 respectively.
Also in that division for the Bahamas’ Asiyah Robinson was 10th after shooting 65 over nine holes.
When competition began on Thursday rainy weather and high winds were still a factor.
- Austin DWI - New York DWI