Mayor salutes golf advisers

Michael Belnavis, mayor of St Ann’s Bay and councillor for the Ocho Rios Division, has expressed heartfelt thanks to the 100 travel agents who participated in the 22nd annual Sandals United States Travel Advisors Golf Tournament at the Upton Estate Golf and Country Club in St Mary.

The two-day event attracted the largest group of travel agents ever to participate in any of the three tournaments staged annually by the resort chain to promote Jamaica as a golfing destination. The others are the Latin American tournament and its long-running counterpart, the Baxter Media Canadian Travel Advisors Tournament.

Team Nicklaus, comprising Megan Sams, Alan Granza, James Rotoreau and Lauren Rotoreau, won by a commanding 10 strokes ahead of Team Palmer’s Christopher Cirella, Amanda Veith, Joey Alfonso and Bing Alfonso.

Guest speaker Belnavis was particularly pleased with the US$4,875 raised for the Sandals Foundation through the Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive competitions, staged in male and female divisions. Travel agents pay to have participants in Sandals’ Junior Golf Programme play the respective holes.

Peter Glowacki and Staci Borup won the male and female Closest to the Pin competitions, respectively, while Rick Keiner and Taylor Meyer triumphed in the male and female Longest Drive contests.

The Sandals Junior Golf Programme mentors children from the Upton and Exchange communities in St Mary, providing golf lessons and life skills training. The initiative has produced players such as Romaine Edwards, winner of the 2014 Caribbean Junior Amateur Golf Championships in St Croix, United States Virgin Islands.

Zandre Roye, winner of the 2026 National Amateur Golf Championship, is also a graduate of the programme, along with Oshae Haye, the 2022 national champion.

“The Sandals Foundation has fantastic people, engaging in projects which affect more than 200,000 people in St Ann, the country’s biggest parish, as well as some parts of neighbouring St Mary,” Belnavis noted, adding that the Sandals chain is also a major employer across several parishes.

“The municipality works very well with Sandals and the Sandals Foundation. The people of these parishes are grateful for the role that you, the travel advisers, play in getting visitors to the island, especially after the passage of Hurricane Melissa,” the mayor added, reflecting on the Category 5 hurricane that made landfall on October 28 last year, leaving many hotels and attractions damaged.

Jake Coldiron, Sandals’ national manager for golf sales and land sports, noted that 80 of the players were participating in their first Sandals Travel Advisors Golf Tournament. He also pointed out that, for the first time, the third-place team, Team Watson, earned a spot in the 2027 Global Golf Tournament alongside winners Team Nicklaus and runners-up Team Palmer at a date and Caribbean venue to be announced.