Men’s champion Carlsen Leacock (second left) accepted his trophy and awards from Wenrick Clarke (RBC Vice-President), Jillian Nunes (Country Head of Royal Fidelity) and BGA President, Trevor Tasker.
Golfers celebrate after play and awards in 2016 RBC Classic
Wed, 11/30/2016 - 12:00am
Several of the island’s top golfers are still celebrating after an exciting 12th edition of the RBC Golf Classic which was stage˙d last weekend at the Barbados Golf Club.
After 36 holes on a testy Durants course, in brilliant sunshine, players collected their awards and rewards during a ceremony in the club-house on Sunday night hosted by the sponsors RBC, and tournament organisers, the Barbados Golf Association.
Both RBC Vice-President, Wenrick Clarke and BGA President Trevor Tasker thanked the players, officials and BGC staff for a highly successful tournament this year which attracted 116 players.
The operations staff at BGC were also particularly lauded for being able to produce a good course for tournament play after heavy rains leading up to the Classic.
Clarke said the sponsors were happy to partner with the BGA for the Classic, which is a highlight of the local golf calendar, and which allowed local and international golf enthusiasts to match wits and skills over two days.
“It makes us particularly proud to serve such a higher purpose as doing so allows us to create opportunities for our clients beyond our banking halls. For us, success isn’t only measured by the dollar value of a transaction. We seek opportunities to help our clients and communities build a better future,” Clarke said.
He disclosed that RBC had a rich history of supporting golf around the world and listed the Canadian Open and the RBC Heritage as two of the globally recognised events.
The RBC executive further related that the company was particularly pleased to partner with the BGA in creating the RBC High Performance Award for deserving juniors in Barbados, which will assist with the total development of young players, both on and off the course.
This year the High Performance Award is being jointly shared by 14-year-old Oaziah Layne, the winner of the men’s first flight, and 15-year-old Iz Hustler, who finished fifth in the men’s championship with a gross 157.
Among the top performers in the 2016 RBC Classic were: Men’s champion – Carlsen Leacock (gross 155); Women’s champion – Julia Stephenson (172); men’s first flight winner – Oaziah Layne ( 157); Women’s stableford winner – Eryn Blakeley (70 points); Men’s Stableford winner – Alwyn Browne (73 points); Senior Men’s Stableford winner – Tony Reece (70 points); Senior men’s strokeplay champion – Richard Payne (gross 149); and Super Seniors champion – Ricky Skeete (gross 153).
The next event on the BGA’s calendar is the year-ending Presidents Putter at the Royal Westmoreland course on December 11.(BB)