TT golfers take on Caribbean best

TRINIDAD and Tobago golfers will today begin their quest for regional golf supremacy in the 47th annual Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships.

The four-day contest gets underaway from 7 am with the first round on the Plantations Beach and Golf Resort at Lowlands, Tobago. Competition ends on Saturday with an awards function at the club house. The last time Trinidad and Tobago staged the tournament, popularly known as the Hoerman Cup, the hosts made a clean sweep of the four crowns at stake at the St Andrew’s Golf Club at Moka, Maraval. Ten years later, expectations are high that the TT team, led by their leading golfer, Carlos “Sexy” Baynes will give a good account of themselves and pose a serious challenge to the defending champions Puerto Rico. The TT team is: (Hoerman Cup) Carlos Baynes, Shane Costelloe, Dion Gonsalves, Corey Hamel-Smith, Randy Mohammed (Reserve); (Ramon Baez Figueroa) Barry Ferdinand, Arjoon Samlal, Jesse Jattan Snr (Reserve); (Francis and Steele-Perkins) Louis de Meillac, Raymond Roberts; (Higgs and Hill) Asraph Ali, Edward Grell, Peter Hale (Reserve); (George Teale) Diana Torry, Michelle Torry, Tracey Clarke (Reserve).

Speaking over the weekend, Tournament Director Bill Agard said the homesters are certain to make the best of home advantage having practised extensively on the relatively new Plantations Championship course. However the fickle weather patterns currently affecting the sister isle is a cause for concern. But over the past couple of days, brilliant sunshine has graced the scenic 7,000-yard par-72 course whose greens are expected to play on the quick side. The countries represented in the tournament are Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and hosts Trinidad and Tobago. Of added interest will be the appraisal of the Plantations course which is hosting a tournament of this magnitude. Director of Golf, Chris Patey, an Irishman who has been at Plantations for the past four years is confident that all is in place to accommodate the competitors and he is certain that they will go back home with a positive impression of their visit. Patey’s aim is to project Plantations Beach and Golf Resort into the top ten desirable destinations to holiday and play golf in the entire Caribbean. The golfers are staying at the Hilton Tobago which is located on the beach front of the spectacular 750-acre Master Planned Community comprising condominiums, cluster villas and villa lots.

Teams:
Hoerman Cup: (Bahamas) Stephen Bain, Peter McIntosh, Jarrod Sweeting, Keno Turnquest; (Barbados) Darren Boardley, James Johnson, Carlsen Leacock, Scott Stollmeyer, Sean Eddey and Bill Tempro (Reserves); (Cayman Islands) Oliver Burton, Greg Downer, Alan Geraghty, Tracy Moore, Matthew Wight; (Jamaica) Owen Samuda, Michael Scott, Paul Thompson; (Dominican Republic) Juan Campusano, Otto Guerrero, Marco Midence, Robert Smith; (Turks and Caicos) David Carrion, John Donatien, Rodney Lavard, Serge Paradis; (OECS) Ivan Hixon, Cliff Alcide, Eugene Edwin, Trevor Levine; (Puerto Rico) Max Alverio, Erick Morales, Raul Rivera, Raul Slavonia; (US Virgin islands) Robert Behling, Raymond Berkeley, Mike Graci, John Streibich.
Ramon Baez Figueroa: (Bahamas) Alex Gibson, Mike Mike Toporoski; (Barbados) Dennis Blackman, Michael Haynes, Roger Bleale (Reserve); (Cayman) George Christie, Robert Wood; (Jamaica) Michael Gleichman, Fred Sutherland; (Dominican Republic) Miguel Feris, Fabio Santoni; (Turks and Caicos) Greg Hurd, Jack Sims; (OECS) Canice Louis, Terry Verdant;  (Puerto Rico) Mike Santin, Frank Thomas; (US Virgin Islands) Ed Gittens, Conrad Stancliffe.
Francis and Steele-Perkins: (Bahamas) Bobby Rose, Vernon Wells; (Barbados) Robert Piggott, Ricky Skeete, Roger Beale (Reserve); (Caymans) Paula Chilman, Robert Chilman, Tom Crawford; (Jamaica) Dennis Atkinson, Hamar Dayes; (Dominican Republic) Andres Dilone, Hector Then; (Turks and Caicos) Brian Kennedy, JP Srinark; (OECS) Alex Blanchard, John Wright; (Puerto Rico) John Benner, Israel Ortiz; (US Virgin islands) Oliver Hendrickson, Austin Overby.
Higgs and Higgs: (Bahamas) Harcourt Poitier, George Turnquest; (Barbados) Goslin Griffith, Peter Lashley, Dr Robert Gaskin; (Caymans) Michael Cantin, Don Stewart; (Jamaica) Jason Garbutt, Herman McDonald, Cleo Taylor; (Turks and Caicos) Bob Gaynor, Ken Liroff; (OECS) Brad Paul, Errol Samuel; (Puerto Rico) Luis Elvin Gonzales, Osiris Melemndez; (US Virgin Islands) Jim Hymes, Cosmo Williams.
George Teale: (Bahamas) Jameica Duncombe, Giselle Pyfrom; (Barbados) Muffin Johnson, Jamie Hole, Lynn Johnson (Reserve); (Caymans) Nicole Chin-Coe, Samantha Widmer; (Jamaica) Mahie Lyn, Jodi Munn; (Dominican Republic) Debra Luna, Carole Tremblay; (Turks and Caicos) Tammy Glugosh, Chris Pretorius; (Puerto Rico) Karen Calvesbert, Laura Diaz; (US Virgin Islands) Cathy Colburn, Allison Bourne-Vanneck.