-CLAUDINE HOUSEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Keith Stein ... set to return to the national fold after an eight-year break.
AFTER AN eight-year hiatus, the talented Keith Stein is set to turn out in a Jamaica cap again at the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships (CAGC) which will be staged at the Cinnamon Hill course, Rose Hall in August.
Canada-born and bred Stein was a mainstay of the prestigious men's Hoerman Cup team for more than half a decade but virtually disappeared from the local golf landscape in the late '90s before announcing his presence again at the national trials held at the Rose Hall Resort's course over the extended Easter weekend.
With a little help from the sisters formerly known as Munn - Jodi Barrow and Leiza Blakeley, Stein was granted a place at the trials to make the intermediate section of the CAGC for over-35 players called the Ramon Baez Figueroa (RBF) Trophy, and he performed more than admirably.
Over the four days he carded rounds of 71, 77, 81 and 74 on the tricky par-71 course for a gross score of 303 and a virtual lock on one of the two places on the RBF team.
In fact, his final total would have placed him a clear fourth in the Hoerman Cup qualifiers behind rising young star Fabian Campbell (291), Owen Samuda (295) and Michael Scott (310); although it must be noted that the Hoerman Cup hopefuls had to walk the arduous course while the other male categories were afforded the luxury of carts to take them up and down.
After signing his final scorecard on Monday, Stein said just how much it meant to him to try and get back on the Jamaica team after the lengthy break induced by work and family commitments.
"The only winning team I was on - all those years ago (in 1996), was in Jamaica and I really wanted to play this year here," the father of two with another on the way said.
HAPPY
"I didn't really think I was playing well enough to qualify for the Hoerman Cup, so I was quite happy when I received an email form the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) asking me to come and try out for the mid-amateur section," he said.
The 41-year-old greens superintendent at the neighbouring White Witch course since 1999 has been in the island since June of 1992 after drifting down from Toronto.
"Weather was a big thing and also adventure," he said of his southern migration. "I asked myself if I wanted to stay in Toronto all of my life because there's a larger world out there.
"The first six months or so were tough but I must tell you now that I am a perfect fit for this island. I like it here. I love my wife, my job, my kids and I'm really having a great time."
Looking forward to August's CAGC, which will also mark the 50th staging of the region's leading amateur tournament, Stein said his game was in solid shape.
"I don't seem to hit it (the ball) off the property," he said. "I don't make any large numbers ... the highest score I had on a whole (at trials) was a six."
Stein was paired with possible RBF partner Philip Prendergast and said he would look forward to playing with the US-based player at the CAGC.
Prendergast's rounds were not overly impressive (77-79-80-78) but he was battling a wrist injury incurred during a training session last week at Constant Spring.
"I played four days with Philip and I enjoyed them all," he said. "We worked well together and had a good relationship on the course. If I'm lucky enough to be his partner, we will have a good go at it (the trophy)."
- T. G.
