The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AS host of the 60th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships, the Bahamas was feeling the heat just as much as their opponents as the first day of competition got off to a scorching start at the Ocean Club Golf Club on Tuesday.

The Bahamas is currently sitting in seventh place in the Hoerman Cup for males and sixth in the George Teale Memorial Trophy for ladies. As expected, Puerto Rico is leading the field of nine countries in both categories in the four-day tournament which will continue today at 7:30am and wrap up on Friday.

The Bahamas men could only muster a total of 312, compared to the torrid pace of 283 produced by Puerto Rico for the early lead.

The Dominican Republic is second with 288 and Trinidad & Tobago is two strokes behind with 290. Puerto Rico leads the ladies with 145, followed by the US Virgin Islands with 155 and Jamaica with 159. The Bahamas is well off the pace with 166.

“It was a tough day for me, a rough start. I’ve never done that before. After six holes, I was six-over-par. I couldn’t miss a fairway,” said Bahamas veteran team member Peter McIntosh after he shot a 80. “The condition wasn’t too bad. The breeze actually helped with the heat. It can’t get any worse than this.”

McIntosh said his threesome he played in was so competitive that one of the players shot even par and the other was two-under.

“The difference is we’re home and they’re not,” McIntosh chuckled.

Horace Miller, another veteran member of the team, shot a 81. He was just as stunned as McIntosh, not so much about the scores, but rather the condition they played in.

“It was quite humid out there. As you can see I’m dripping wet,” Miller pointed out. “I started out shaky, but I came through on the back nine. I played much better.”

As the tournament continues, Miller is hoping that Team Bahamas will pick it up a bit.

“We’re positive. We have some ball strikers out there,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a home course advantage. These young fellows play college and so they make the adjustment. But we are home so I guess we could do much better.”

The Bahamas’ best performance on the day came from DeVaughn Robinson with a 73, followed by Richard Gibson Jr with 79. Steven Kemp admitted that he got off to a disappointing start, but has vowed to improve on his 80 as the tournament progresses.

On the ladies’ side, the Bahamas’ best performance came from Inecia Rolle with an 80.

“Even though the tournament just started, I’m quite happy with my performance,” pointed out Rolle, who is making her third appearance on the national team. “I know I could do better, but this is just the first day and I expect to get better as the days go on.

With the tournament at home, Rolle said they can rely on the support from their family members and friends, so expect over the next three days for Team Bahamas to remain “a pretty strong team.

“We’re sticking together, just gleaning our best every day. We are leaving everything out there.”

Sharidan Robinson was the next best player for the Bahamas with 86.

Bahamas Golf Federation president Glen Archer admitted that things are going very well from an organisational standpoint, but it’s going to be a tough road ahead for the Bahamian players, considering the circumstances they are facing.

“The local golfers came in with a lot of interest, ready to play.” he said. “They’re doing quite well. I haven’t seen all of the first round scores, but they have a lot of confidence and we have a lot of confidence in them too.

“But one third of the field this year are junior golfers, mainly coming from the other Caribbean territories and it’s an indication of the structured programme that they have. We, in the federation, are moving in that direction.”

With the tournament underway, some of the players from the visiting teams have indicated that they are enjoying themselves.

“It feels great. I feel proud to represent my country as this young age,” said Karina Matabatal, one of the youngest players in the tournament at age 16. “I had a rough day today, I shot 89. The course was a bit long for me because I don’t hit the ball that far, but it was kind of windy on the front nine and that got to me. So today was rough.

“I just need to take it nice and slow tomorrow. I made a couple of notes that I will look over tonight and try to rectify tomorrow. It’s been a nice experience so far. This is my first time. I’m enjoying it.

Leiza Munn Blakeley is the veteran captain of Barbados and she claimed that the first day was a rough one.

“At my tender age, it’s very long. I’m playing against some very fresh young girls, but I held my own. I managed to come out on top of my group,” she said.

“But I’ve been plying golf for a very long time, since the age of eight, and this is one of the most beautiful courses that I’ve ever seen.”

And Erick Morales from Puerto Rico said they are just enjoying their trip and looking forward to putting on a show.

“It’s great. The conditions are great. There’s a lot of wind out there. It’s a great tournament and a great country. We’re just enjoying ourselves,” he said.

“This is like home, a lot of wind, so you just have to learn to adjust and get better day by day.”

• See the scoreboard

for individual scores