Knibbs preparing for mental, physical battle
Published:Thursday | May 20, 2021 | 12:14 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
Defending National Amateur Golf Championship champion William Knibbs will have his work cut out if he is to successfully defend his title, as the four-day competition gets under way today at the Caymanas Golf Club.
Knibbs, who shot a three-under-par 218 to win by four strokes last year, will face a stiff challenge from former champion Justin Burrowes, as well as national players Sean Morris and Zandre Roye in the men zero to six category.
With several tournaments cancelled this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the golfers will enter the championship with some rust, having played their last major tournament in December of last year.
For Knibbs, a victory bid will come down to who handles the conditions the best.
“It’s going to be a tough tournament because Caymanas always plays tough towards the summer when it starts to get windy and extremely hot. What makes it even more challenging is that all the competitors will have to walk the course,” said Knibbs.
The former Elon University player has been trying to remain focused, despite the lack of golf action, and he believes he will need to pull on all his mental toughness to hold on to the title.
“I feel I am stronger physically and better technically than I was at this point last year, but mentally, I would have been better prepared because we had more tournaments. There is some rust that I will have to shake off, but we will see how the week shapes up,” added Knibbs.
Meanwhile, the ladies division should see former champion Jodi Munn-Barrow pushing for the title, while there will be prizes for Men’s Senior, Men’s Super-Senior as well as the juniors, who will play over two days.