The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS 

Chief Sports Editor 

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

RICHARD Gibson Jr re-established himself as the best amateur golfer in the country, winning his fourth Bahamas Golf Federation National Amateur Golf Championship title, while teenager Maddison Carroll clinched her first female crown.

The winners were decided yesterday at the Royal Blue Golf Club at Baha Mar as the four-day tournament came to a close just before the rain came pouring down.

Gibson, the only player to break the 300-total barrier, finished with scores of 68, 72, 73 and 71 on each day for his four-under-par final tally of 284. Sebastian Calzada was 12-over-par 300 (79-75-74-72) for second and Nolan Johnson was 15-over-par 303 (73-74- 81-75) for third. “I’ve been coming in second for the last few nationals, so I was happy that I finally won this one,” said Gibson, who dethroned Alexander Rowland. “I just want to thank God for allowing all of us to come out and play.

“My performance wasn’t what I expected score wise, but I was still happy with it. I was just happy that I was able to get out early and maintain my lead throughout the tournament.”

Gibson Jr, who won the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, thanked Royal Fidelity for sponsoring him and in general, especially the juniors, for the past few years, helping with the growth and development of the sport.

Carroll took the spot in the ladies’ division with a 14-over-par 302 (73-77-74- 78), well ahead of second place finisher Chemari Pratt with 46-over-par 334 (83-82-86-83) and Anissa Robinson with 48-over-par (81-91-81-83) 336.

“I felt it was very tough, but I was happy that I won it,” said the 13-year-old Carroll, who is going into the eighth grade at The Tambearly School and one of the seven members of the Harris Golf Academy headed by the husband/ wife team of David and Georgette Rolle-Harris, who participated in the tournament.

“I wanted to use the tournament to get ready for the tournament we’re going away to compete in. Hopefully I can be competitive enough to win a medal for the Bahamas.”

Along with Carroll, the other Harris Golf Academy players who participated were Pratt and Robinson as well as male competitors Zachary Joseph (12th overall), Rashawn Hanna (tied for 16th), Juan Wilson (tied for 20th) and Angelino Cooper, who didn’t get to complete the tournament.

Lynford Miller, who serves as the BGF president, congratulated both Gibson Jr and Carroll for capturing the titles.

Johnson, who was 10th overall and third in the mid-amateur category with his 34-over-par 322 (76-76-84- 86), said the tournament was a very competitive one.

“Overall, we had a pretty good showing with about 61 competitors,” he said. “Due to a conflict with another event, it took away from

the number of competitors we anticipated, but it was still a very good showing from all of our golfers.”

Tournament director Gina Gonzalez-Rolle, who also serves as the chairman of the BGF’s Junior Division, said they were pleased with the tournament, especially from the juniors, who are preparing to head off to compete in Jamaica from July 1-6.

“It was amazing to see how well our young people played,” she said. “We’re also pleased to see how well the women played, considering the fact that women’s golf is down in some parts of the world. We had a very good showing from our ladies.”

The divisional breakdown showcasing the top three finishers are as follows:

Men’s Regular - Richard Gibson Jr (68-72-73-71) 284; Sebastian Calzada (79-75-74-72) 300; Heathcliff Kane (78-82-76-71) 307.

Mid-Amateur - Nolan Johnson (73-74-81-75) 303; Steven Kemp (79-71-76-78) 304; Lyford Miller (76-76-84-86) 322.

Seniors - Peter McIntosh (82-84-86-78) 330; Juan Trevor Gibson (78-93-86- 83) 340; John McCarroll (89-95-89-88) 361.

Super Seniors - Broderick Pinder (88-84-79-83) 334; Raymond Gibson (81-83-83-89) 336; Horace Miller (84-90-85-82) 341.

Legends - Victor Skinner (94-91-89-85) 359’ Oswald Moore (90-87-91-93) 361; Max Quant (88-97-94-85) 364.

Ladies Regular - Maddisson Carroll - 73-77-74-78) 302; Chemari Pratt (83-82-86-83) 334; Anissa Robinson (81-91-81-83) 336.

Ladies Senior - Nathalee Tynes (110-108-115-208) 441; Kenise Turnquest (142-124-132-133) 531.