Regional giants start swinging for major awards

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Beginning this morning at 8:30, Montego Bay's three premier golf courses, Cinnamon Hill, Half Moon and White Witch will become the centre of regional attention as action will tee off in the 15th annual Caribbean Classic Golf Tournament, which will feature some 120 players.

"The JGA (Jamaica Golf Associa-tion) is excited to host this prestigious tournament as it is looked forward to by players of the region each year and we have been preparing for the last six months to ensure that this year's event is the best ever in the 15-year history," said Wayne Chai Chong, president of the JGA.

Over the past two days, players from Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and host nation, Jamaica, have been staging practice rounds on the three courses, sharpening their skills for the tournament, which will have the prestigious George Noon Cup - symbol of amateur golf supremacy in the Caribbean - as the major trophy at stake.

The US Virgin Islands, which won the female segment and placed second in the male division, were the overall champions last year. The Bahamas had won the men's category.

'Ready and raring to go'

"We are ready and raring to go," said tournament director, David Mais. "The people in Montego Bay are quite experienced in staging major internationals and they have done a fine job in preparing for this tournament."

The tournament, which is being staged in Jamaica for the third time since its inception, will be played according to the modified Stableford format - a strokeplay series in which the high total wins.

The teams will be divided into flights, based on handicap and gender, with the range of handicap in each flight being five strokes. All competitors will compete equally, within flights, with no handicap allowance.

"All systems are in place for the Jamaica Golf Association to host the tournament and the fact that players will be on two courses per day for three days, will allow them to experience the best of golf in Jamaica," said Gordon Hutchinson, chairman of the planning committee.

"We are pleased with the support we have received from all our sponsors and in particular, our host hotel, the Rose Hall Resort & Spa," he added.

The rules allow teams to use an unlimited number of players.

Within each flight, all competitors compete equally and no handicap allowance is given. The first two flights of the men's division will be played from the back tees, while the first two flights of the women's division and third and fourth flights of the men's division will be played from the middle tees. The remaining flights will be played from forward tees.

While the tournament is slated to be played over 54 holes (three rounds, in the event an unforeseen situation prevent the playing of the allotted holes), the organisers could use the results after 36 holes to decide the winner of the tournament. In each category, should there be a tie, the teams will jointly share the cup.

The participating countries are Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, US Virgin Islands and hosts Jamaica.