TT golfers ready for championships

WITH Diana Torry, Arjoon Samlal and Shane Costelloe joining the ranks and extensive training over a six-week period, the Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association team is expected by all in their camp to give a good showing at the 47th edition of the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships (Hoerman Cup).

The competition in existence since 1956 will tee off on Sunday and end on  August 10 at the Tobago Plantations Golf and Country Club and was well timed by the coach and team administrators, who can attest to the exceptional mental and physical preparedness that the team is in. Speaking on Wednesday Lee Vannet, coach of the Trinidad and Tobago team says a greater portion of the five to six weeks was spent strategising and helping his players to believe in their ability to shoot a low score during the competition. The coach also a Scottish PGA Player was confident of a good result from his team against the Caribbean’s best teams and says that due to their close quarters in recent times that the group has bonded and has become a cohesive unit with a good attitude.

Firstly played at the Constant Spring Golf Course, Jamaica between the host country and Trinidad and Tobago the competition has grown to include all other Caribbean islands, a concept which was adopted in 1957 along the vision of Englishman Dr Eric Hoerman for whom the Hoerman Caribbean Cup is named. Along with the Hoerman Cup there a four other trophies at stake; the Francis and Steele-Perkins Cup donated by Mr Francis of the Bahamas, the Higgs and Higgs Trophy donated by Fred and Vic Higgs of the Bahamas and Jamaica respectively, the George Teale Memorial Cup donated by George Teale of Puerto Rico and the Ramon Baez Figueroa Trophy named for Figueroa of the Dominican Republic. The Francis and Steele-Perkins Cup will be sought after by the Seniors, the Super Seniors (60 and over) will play for the Higgs and Higgs accolade, the women play for the George Teale Memorial Cup and the mid-amateur men between 35 and 50 will contest the Ramon Baez Figueroa Trophy.