Barbados’ top golfers are now in Trinidad and Tobago defending the prestigious Hoerman Cup, the symbol of amateur golf supremacy in the Caribbean.
A 16-member squad flew out early yesterday to match skills against the best in the region at the 55th annual RBC Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships, being played at the Millenium Lakes Club, playing today through Saturday.
Barbados will be contesting all five divisions at the championships, but seeking to retain the Hoerman Cup in the men’s division which they won last year at home, for only the second time, at the Royal Westmoreland course.
Again led by captain James Johnson, the Barbados Hoerman Cup team includes Marcus Clarke, Judd Cozier and rising young players Warren Bynoe and Simon Proverbs.
“We have been preparing over the past six weeks and our aim is to hold on to the Cup. We expect our toughest competition to come from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The Trinidadians, playing at home, could also lift their game to another level,” said captain Johnson, the island’s most accomplished player.
Representing Barbados in other divisions are Robert Piggott and Ricky Skeete (Steele-Perkins Seniors competition); Birchmore Griffith and Richie Alleyne (Higgs & Higgs Super Seniors); Serena Smith, Mary Ince and Lynn deCambra-McLeod (George Teale Womens Trophy) and Carlsen Leacock and Elvis Medford (Ramon Baez Mid-Amateurs competition).
Team manager Tyrone Mapp, a former Barbados tennis and golf representative, said the squad was a good mix and while they were expecting gold medal performances from the Hoerman Cup players, and veterans Skeete and Piggott in the seniors, they were also hoping that the other divisions would play to their true potential and assist the island in capturing the overall team title.
The Caribbean championships are being sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada for the first time this year and last Friday, the team was presented with golf bags by RBC’s Country Head in Bridgetown, Horace Cobham.
Cobham wished the team success and said RBC was happy to continue its association with golf, adding to the already established high profile relationships with the PGA Tour and selected tour professionals such as Stephen Ames of Trinidad.
Puerto Rico is defending the overall team title at the championships just outside of Port-of-Spain. Other teams taking part include The Bahamas, hosts Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, the OECS, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Team: Marcus Clarke, Judd Cozier, Carlsen Leacock, Richie Alleyne, Warren Bynoe, Simon Proverbs, Elvis Medford, James Johnson, Ricky Skeete, Robert Piggott, Lynn deCambra McLeod, Serena Smith, Birchmore Griffith, Mary Ince, Tyrone Mapp (manager).
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