By Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport 
UWI deputy principal Joseph Pereira, centre, announces the UWI Classic tournament at yesterday's press briefing at the Mona campus. He is flanked by tournament chairman Gordon Hutchinson, left, and JGA president Ossie Lee. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
THERE'S LONG-TERM planning and then there's extremely long-term planning.
Yesterday, at the University of the West Indies (UWI) - Mona, the fifth UWI Golf Classic was launched. The format of the November 2 event at the Caymanas Golf and Country Club is 18-hole Individual Stableford using 7/8 USGA Handicap with the champion collecting the Vice Chancellor's Trophy.
However, the underlying purpose of the Classic is to boost the Jamaica Golf Association-UWI Golf Development Foundation scholarship fund which currently has $1.824 million in the kitty and should have close to $2.5 million at the completion of next month's event.
Still, for the fifth year running, no prospective scholarship recipient has been identified and JGA president Ossie Lee stated the awarding of the scholarship could still be three more years away.
To claim the $200,000 per year scholarship at UWI, the winner must be a proficient young golf player and have the required level of educational achievement to attend university and that appears to be a blend hard to meet.
"The first criteria must be that the person is able to attend the University of the West Indies, the second is that they must be able to play golf. We don't want to give it to footballers or cricketers; this is a golf foundation. I would estimate the first recipient could be three years away," Lee said yesterday in response to the well-worn question of when the scholarship would be awarded.
"We are looking for suitable applicants and there are some good programmes in place - particularly in Runaway Bay and Ironshore," he said. "We went over there recently and there are some bright, young people - prospects."
Tournament committee member Lincoln Williams added that a firm base was now in place and the scholarship fund would bear fruit in time.
More than 100 local amateurs will tee off in this year's Classic which will get under way with a shot-gun start at 8:00.
For non-golfers their will also be plenty of things to do including a putting contest, dominoes, swimming, horseback riding, card games and a free golf clinic conducted by national team coach Ian Melville.
The primary sponsor is Alliance Investment Management Ltd with support from the NCB Card Centre, the UDC, Jamaica Grande, SuperClubs, Motor Sales and Service Co., Jamaica Observer, UGI, Ritz Carlton, Tryall, KFC and Jamaica Premix.
