National golfers eye Caribbean glory

An experienced Jamaican team departed the island yesterday for the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship, which will be staged at the Royal Blue Golf Course in Nassau, The Bahamas.

The team will have a practice round today to get familiar with the course before competition tees off tomorrow. Jamaica will be aiming to at least maintain last year’s runner-up finish or go one better by winning the championship and lifting the Arthur Ziadie country trophy for the first time.

The men’s team is led by Zandre Roye, the current national golf champion who also topped the trials. He is joined by Oshae Haye, a former national champion who recently returned from the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games where he placed 14th. Other members include many-time representatives Owen Samuda, Dr Mark Newnham and Trey Williams, along with Camden Purboo, who will be making his second appearance after debuting in 2025.

On the women’s side, reigning national champion Mattea Issa will lead the three-member team. Issa also competed at the CAC Games, finishing fifth after climbing the leaderboard with consistent scores each round. She will be joined by Kingston Burke and Kiera Williams, both based overseas, who will link up with the team in The Bahamas for the practice round and the 54-hole championship.

Sean Morris and Aman Dhiman were named as reserves but will not travel with the team.