The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It was a major adjustment for many of the Bahamas’ professional golfers as they had to fight through the wind and the rain more so than they did their rivals on the Ocean Golf Club course yesterday.

It was the first day of the four days of competition in the Bahamas Professional Golfers Association’s celebrations of the nation’s 50th anniversary with the return of the National Golf Championships on Paradise Island.

The adverse weather conditions forced officials, at that point, to suspend play because of the heavy rain. When they resumed, some of the foursomes managed to complete their first 32 holes of play.

For those who didn’t, they will have to pick up where they left off at 9am today before the second round begins at 11am. At stake at the end of the first 72 holes will be a spot for the winner in the Korn Ferry Golf Tour in Exuma in January.

The final 72 holes, expected to be played on Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, will be for the final spot on the Korn Ferry Tour for Abaco.

But much more than that, players are also playing for cash prizes and the bragging rights as the national champion of the overall championship trophy for the Leroy ‘Roy’ Bowe Cup, the Donald ‘Nine’ Rolle Cup for the regular men, the Jim Duncombe Cup for the super men and the Francis Dunn Cup for the ladies’ champion.

BPGA president Glen Pratt, who is competing in the senior division, said the players got a chance to play despite the inclement weather and that was the most significant thing of the day.

“I think it went extremely well, the camaraderie was extremely strong. We had the coming together of the organisations with the president of the Bahamas Golf Federation Lynford Miller, played by former president Agatha Delancy, who hosted the registration and also gave some words of encouragement about inclusion with all of the golf communities,” Archer said. I think that went very well.”

This year’s honour for the nationals is Vernon Lockhart, who serves as the chairman of the competition committee. He is being honoured for the role he played as the captain for the two victories that the Bahamas secured at the Caribbean Golf Championships in 1978 and 1980.

“Lockhart, who also participated in the senior division, said he is thrilled to be honoured this year.

“It’s always good when you’ve made a contribution and someone else recognises it and honours you for that contribution,” he said. “It always makes you feel good and I can say that the Bahamas Professional Golfers Association decided to do that this year and I’m really excited and honoured to be recognised.

“I’m humbled by the gesture. So it feels good.” As for his performance on day one, Lockhart called it a “baptism by rain” because he never saw a golf course play so difficult, not only with the rain, but with the wind.

“It was almost impossible out there and I really didn’t know the weather was going to be this bad, but I tried on every shot.

“It is what it is. I’m not finished yet, but at the beginning of the event, I didn’t have any expectations.

“It was all about being here to support president Glen in getting the association back on its feet. It’s all about the younger players coming up.”

With this being the 50th celebrations of the country’s capital, Pratt said they are disappointed that golf was not a part of the activities, although it was back in 1977 when Michael Rolle won the Mid-Atlantic Championships in Bermuda.

“We had Greg Maycock, who still had that fire in his belly, coming out to compete, as well Racquel Riley, who became in from Abaco,” Pratt said.

“We had a good combination of the old, the women and the youth in Devaughn Robinson and Cameron Riley.

“Those are the things that are very encouraging for this event. Everybody was very happy and pleased with what happened today, despite the weather. We had the assistance of Arthur Johnson, who came out and helped out as well. So it was like a community outing today.”

Based on the weather, Pratt said if the weather does not allow them to play all of the rounds, they have negotiated with the Ocean Club to play 36 holes on Sunday, starting at 8am with 54 holes completed, followed by the awards presentation.