The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas opened the 26th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships on a favourable note with several round one performances leaving the coaching staff optimistic for the remainder of the event.

The Bahamas was in fourth position after round one of the event which is being hosted at the North Sound Golf Club, Cayman Islands.

“After the first day, we are in fourth place, a very familiar spot for us, being right behind the three countries that have populations in the millions,” said team manager Daphne Haines-Burrows. “Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico are tied for first while the Dominican Republic is third. After day one the team is ahead of Jamaica and Barbados, the two other countries we are always fighting with for fourth place. At this point we are only 10 points behind the Dominican Republic and just eight points ahead of Jamaica.”

Leading the way for Team Bahamas is Lucas Echeverri in the Boys 14-15, who shot a 72 in round one and returned in round two yesterday to duplicate his score of 72.

His score of 144 sits a single stroke behind Sachin Kumar of Trinidad and Tobago with 143.

Also in the division, Asif Robinson is tied for eighth with 154 after consecutive rounds of 77, and Craig Gomez is in 11th after rebounding from an 87 in round one to shoot a 72 in round two (159).

In the Girls 16-17 division, Asiyah Robinson shot an 86, but lowered her score with a 76 yesterday in round two. She is tied for fourth with 162, while Marlique Hield was 7th with 192.

Xavier Robinson is in eighth in the Boys’ 11-13 division with a score of 162 (76, 86) and Cameron Riley is 12th with 182 (92,90).

In the Girls’ 14-15 division, Inecia Rolle (164) remains in fifth after she shot an impressive 74 in round two after an opening round score of 90, while L’Leah Laing is in eighth place with a score of 174 (91,83).

Tynesha Tynes shot 104 and 99 in the Girls 11-13 division and is in ninth place.

In the Boys 16-17 division, Harrison Collins is 12th after two rounds with an overall score of 168 (85,83), Brian Coakley tied for 13th with 172 (84, 86) and Marcus Gouthro 15th with 191 (94, 97).

The Bahamian golfers will continue to face-off against their Caribbean counterparts from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) on the 18-hole championships course. “This is one of our strongest teams, a group of well-rounded young men and women,” said Bahamas Golf Federation president James Gomez prior to the team’s departure.

The tournament concludes on July 6.