The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It’s not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish.

• The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in the local sports scene, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

The Week That Was

WE have reached the end of the first month of 2016 and with it came the hosting of the fourth annual Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic.

The event was termed another huge success as the visiting players, organisers and spectators left another impressive review of our sunny shores and the hospitality displayed by the Bahamians whom they came in contact with.

There’s no doubt that the Bahamas is fast becoming a sports haven for not only major international sporting events, but we are opening our doors to more and more annual general meetings for sporting organisations like the Caribbean Basketball Confederation, who will be in town this weekend at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island.

Georgette Rolle put up a gallant effort competing against more than 100 of the top female golfers in the world, who participated in the week of activities at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island. While she didn’t produce the kind of scores she anticipated to be in the mix for the cut for the final two days of competition, Rolle should be commended for sticking with it. She could have easily thrown in the towel after she fell at the bottom of the pile at the end of the first day. She didn’t make up any ground on the second day and stayed in that position. It was obvious that not having played in any major tournaments, or any tournaments at all at this level over the past year, had an adverse effect on her game.

Despite her performance, the organisers should be commended for allowing the Bahamas to receive an exemption in the main draw. That helped to generate a lot more interest because it allowed more people to come out and see how well Rolle was able to match up against the visiting players.

I know, for me, it was quite a thrill to watch her go head-to-head with Tiger Woods’ niece Cheyenne Woods on the first day. What a luck of the draw for Rolle. There’s a saying that you should be “careful what you ask for,” but in the case of Rolle, she got what she wanted when she indicated that she would have loved to play against her prior to the pairings. As it turned out, she got her wish.

Rolle, a teaching professional within the Bahamas Golf Federation, still has a chance to rub shoulders with some of these same players in a more prestigious tournament if she gets the qualification. Golf will be a part of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

There’s expected to be about 30 countries with at least two representatives entered. Just imagine, the Bahamas being one of those participants with Rolle carrying the Bahamian flag. It will be another feather in our cap as the Bahamas ventures into another sporting discipline on the international scene.

However, Rolle still has a long way to go as she will have to compete in some of the LPGA Tournaments to ensure that her name and the Bahamas is listed for consideration. So if you see Rolle knocking at your door for some sponsorship, let’s rally around to give her our support.

All of this could only help to boost her confidence and get her ready to make an impact when the Pure Silk Tournament returns for its fifth edition in 2017.

The tournament gave the spectators a good indication of how disciplined and dedicated the players are to improving their game. Even after they finished walking the 18 holes on the golf course for about five hours, they went back to practice, preparing for the next day of competition.

COMMONWEALTH

YOUTH GOLD

Also last week, a major announcement came out of Gibraltar where Bahamas Olympic Committee president Wellington Miller was summoned.

The executive board of the Commonwealth Games Federation made the journey a worthwhile one for Miller by giving him the good news that the Bahamas will be the host of the Commowealth Youth Games July 19-23, 2017.

A lot of people may not understand the significance of such an announcement, but it now pushes the Bahamas to another plateau as it is indeed the largest sporting event that the country will have hosted. More than 70 countries are eligible to compete, but even if just half of those numbers show up, it will be a mammoth task for the local organising committee.

The Bahamas has been known for coming through big time in organising events and the latter event will definitely serve as a major test because it could end up leading to some other major events for the various sporting disciplines, who will make up the package for the games.

The IAAF World Relays was one of those prime examples. The Bahamas came through with flying colours and is gearing up to stage the third version in 2017 as well.

The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture must both be commended for working diligently with all of the sporting bodies to ensure that the events not only come off, but they get the financial backing and the full support of the Bahamas Government, which is a key factor to its overall success.