Winners of 2018 Sagicor General Family Golf Championships collect prizes
Golf-playing families enjoyed another day in the spotlight while tussling for prizes and bragging rights in the Seventh Annual Sagicor General Insurance Family Golf Championships.
Several familiar names teamed-up with children, parents and other relatives, in five catergories of competition, and some exciting golf was witnessed at the Barbados Golf Club last Sunday.
At the end of 18 holes, Barbados player Simon Proverbs and his father Richard emerged overall gross champions for the third year, with a highly competitive 67, while brothers Peter and John Williams were overall net champions (score after handicaps are applied) for the second year running with 63 strokes.
In the Husband & Wife catergory, former Barbados players Franklyn and Julia Stephenson proved a strong combination and won the gross prize with 71 while Graham Waite and Sarah Pepper took the net prize with 64 strokes. Tournament organiser Denis Foster and wife Helen (68) were second on net scores and Jim and Yvonne Brewer, third on 69.
Richie and Paul Alleyne, with a score of 64, were net winners in the Parent&Child division while Barbados player Julian Jordan and son Dominic (65) were second as they edged Mark Blakeley and daughter Eryn (also 65) on the count-back system.
National players Iz Hustler and Emily Odwin dominated the Open Division , and won the gross prize with 71, while emerging juniors Dario Sargeant and Shaqon Harding were net winners with a score of 61. Second were Richard and Nicholas Phillips (64) and third, Shane Johnson and Nathan Chee-a-Tow (65).
A new catergory, which essentially was the fifth division this year, saw the installation of a short-course competition where adult players played alongside juniors under-10, over a reduced yardage.
Barbados captain James Johnson teamed with brother Jason to win the gross prize in that catergory, with 70 strokes, while Jim and Summer Wimberley were net winners, also with 70. Second were Bobby Edghill and Leah Blakeley (71) and third, Oliver and Lenny Jansen (74).
Seventy- four players contested the 2018 Sagicor General Family Championships which got under way with an 8 am shotgun start.
That represented a full-draw, and an increased number of participants, and after the fun and rivalry on the fairways and greens, players gathered in the BGC club-house for lunch and a prize-giving ceremony where Sagicor General’s Vice-President for Marketing, Mark Blakeley thanked players and organisers for contributing to another successful tournament.
Blakeley told the audience that Sagicor General, was celebrating 138 years in business this year and longevity and support of family were important hallmarks of the company.
Said Blakeley: “At Sagicor we value family and we have seen a growth in participation in this tournament over the years and that is a very good sign. We know that families that pray together and play together, also stay together, and we are certainly happy to support the family golf championships which provide a great start to the new year.”