The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Golf Federation’s secretary Oswald Moore said they are excited about the team they have put together to represent the Bahamas at the 57th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships to compete for the Arthur Ziadie title.

The CAGC will be held from August 3-9 at the Trump International Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, just after the completion of the 27th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships that will be contested from July 27-August 1 at the same venue.

Moore, a former member of the super senior team for the Bahamas, said the BGF was able to put together the senior team after the completion of the Bahamas Amateur Golf Championship was held over the Labour Day holiday weekend in Grand Bahama.

“We were able to put the team together as a result of the National Open Golf Championships in Grand Bahama and the Lyford Cay Tournament that we had,” said Moore about the team selection. “A couple of the fellows were able to throw out a high school and used the score from the Lyford Cay Tournament to put this in prospective.

“In addition to that, we had individuals like Ben Davis, Devaughn Robinson and Taneka Sandiford, who are all in college and what we have been doing is to make sure that we get their scores when they compete and so we have their scores on files from the tournaments they played and we used that to determine the team this year.”

Now that the team is selected, Moore said it’s just a matter of fine toning their games over the next six weeks to ensure that they are in tip top shape to compete in Puerto Rico.

They will comprise of the following:

Hoerman Cup for regular players - Benjamin Davis Jr., Devaughn Robinson, Brian Coakley, Asif Robinson, Delano Mortimer and Elijah Delancy (alternate).

George Teale Cup for mid/amateur players - Peter McIntosh and George Swann.

Francis and Steele-Perkins Cup for senior players - Chris Harris, Horace Miller and Shane Gibson (alternate).

Higgs & Higgs Cup for super senior players - Vernon Wells and Prince ‘Zorro’ Stubbs.

Ramon Baez Cup for ladies - Taneka Sandiford, Inecia Rolle, Brianne Robinson and Asyiah Robinson (alternate).

“When you look at the fact that Ben Davis shot a six-under-par at the National Amateur Open, that’s a score that the pros shoot in their tournament. So that was a pro-like performance from that youngster,” said Moore of Davis’ winning performance in Grand Bahama to solidify his number one spot on the team.

“So in the Hoerman Cup division, we should have a very good team. On the whole, we have some seasoned players and we have a couple of players who are on the team for the first time like Horace Miller in the seniors and Brianne Robinson in the ladies division.”

In addition to the fantastic performance from Davis, Moore noted that they have some youngsters like Inecia Rolle, Brian Coakley and Asif Robinson, who would have already been in Puerto Rico where they will be participating as members of the junior national team at the CAJGC.

Last year, the Bahamas finished sixth in the race for the Arthur Ziadie title. Moore said they are looking forward to improving on their position as they challenge for the title this year.

The last time the Bahamas won the title was in 2000 in Barbados. The Bahamas, however, has never won the Ramon Baez Cup. However, the Bahamas held the George Teale Cup back-to-back in 2003 and 2004 in Trinidad & Tobago and the Bahamas respectively. The Bahamas only won the Higgs & Higgs Cup once and that was when it was initiated in 1990 in Jamaica. The Francis & Steele-Perkins Cup was last won by the Bahamas in 1999 in the Turks & Caicos Islands. But the Bahamas has not won the Hoerman Cup since 1980 in Barbados.

In preparation for the tournament, the team will be supervised by Fred Wright and Walter Robinson during their practice sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Ocean Club with Thursday and Friday sessions taking place at Lyford Cay.

Meanwhile, Alena Hutchinson, chairperson of the BGF’s Junior Division, has released the names of those players who will carry the Bahamian flag at the CAJGC in Puerto Rico from July 27 to August 1. The players were selected based on their performances at the Junior National Championships that was held from May 17-18 at the Reef Golf Club in Grand Bahama.

More than 30 players participated.

The team is made up of the following:

Boys 16-17 - Lucas Echeverri and Brian Coakley, both from New Providence.

Girls 16-17 - Marlique Hield (Abaco) and L’leah Laing.

Boys 14-15 - Cameron Riley (New Providence), Aharon Bastian (Grand Bahama/New Providence) and Ryan Coerbell (New Providence)..

Girls 14-15 - Inecia Rolle (New Providence).

Boys 11-13 - Anthony Loon (Grand Bahama) and Xavier Robinson (Grand Bahama).

Girls 11-13 - Tynesha Tynes and Ashley Michel (New Providence).

“The team is made up of both experienced players and newcomers to the game,” Hutchinson stressed. “We are looking forward to a strong showing at this year’s tournament and the future for junior golf in the Bahamas is extremely bright.”

In preparation for their participation in the tournament, Hutchinson said the jr national team will continue their practices under the supervision of Alex Gibson and Ben Davis in Grand Bahama and she and Ian Coerbell will work with the team in New Providence.