Wednesday, November 5, 2014

#By RICARDO WELLS

#THE Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) softball regular season concluded with the St Augustine’s College junior boys clinching their share of the pennant with a 17-7 win against Queens College Comets and Charles W Saunders clarifying the playoffs and avoiding the top-seeded Jordan Prince William Falcons in the senior boys division.

#The St Augustine’s-Queen’s College game came down to the bottom of the fourth inning. After the bases were walk-loaded by the Comets’ Daalan Adderley, SAC’s Tanige Wallace stepped up with a two run double to stretch the Big Red Machines’ lead to 10-7. SAC never looked back on their way to a ten-point victory, wcapped by a flamboyant cartwheel at home plate by Wallace during the seven-run fifth inning by SAC.

#With the win SAC tied St Andrews and Nassau Christian Academy as junior boys regular season pennant winners. The three schools used the runs scored between them during the season to determine playoff seedings.

#The BAISS playoffs start today at 4pm with the top seeds meeting fourth seeds for all four divisions and the junior boys and junior girls will kick off the action.

#Tomorrow the second seeds take on third seeds in the same order with all games at Freedom Farm Baseball Park.

#The Charles W Saunders senior boys avoided finishing fourth – and a first round match up with the undefeated Falcons – with a 26-23 extra innings win against the Queens College Comets. The game resumed yesterday to break a tie and with the win CWS moved up to third.

#Both girls divisions had ended in a three-way tie. In the junior girls the St Andrew’s Hurricanes, Nassau Christian Academy Crusaders and Charles W Saunders Cougars finished level in terms of win-loss records of 4-2. After calculating the runs differential, St Andrew’s came out on top with +4 from CWS (+1) and NCA (-5).

#NCA, St Annes and Queen’s College finished the senior girls season with records of 7-2. After the calculations, it meant a finishing order of NCA (+8), St Anne’s (+4) and QC (-12).

#Playoffs schedule

#Junior boys

#1 St Andrew’s School vs 4 Queen’s College

#2 Nassau Christian Academy vs 3 Saint Augustine’s’ College

#Senior boys

#1 Jordan Prince Williams vs 4 Nassau Christian Academy

#2 St Augustine’s College vs 3 Charles W Saunders High

#Junior girls

#1 St Augustine’s’ College vs 4 Nassau Christian Academy

#2 St Andrew’s School vs 3 Charles W Saunders High

#Senior girls

#1 St Augustine’s College vs 4 Queen’s College

#2 Nassau Christian Academy vs 3 St Anne’s High

By Brent Stubbs

Monday, February 23 2020

THE St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine held off a strong challenge from the Queen’s College Comets to win their 24th straight Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools title at Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium on Friday. Here’s a look at the final point standings: 1, St Augustine’s College – 1,307.50. 2, Queen’s College – 1,259.50. 3, St Anne’s – 468. 4, St John’s – 339.50. 5, Temple Christian School – 290.50. 6, St Andrew’s School – 281. 7, Nassau Christian Academy – 184. 8, Aquinas College – 180.50. 9, Jordan Prince Williams – 172.50. 10, Charles W Saunders – 110. 11, Faith Temple Academy – 91. 12. Kingsway Academy – 57.50. 13, Bahamas Academy – 28.50. Bantam girls 1, Queen’s College – 114. 2, St Augustine’s College – 113.50. 3, Jordan Prince Williams – 54. 4, St Andrew’s – 36. 5, St John’s – 33.50. 6, Temple Christian School – 29. 7, St Anne’s – 21. 8, Charles W Saunders – 16. 9, Faith Temple Academy – 4. 10, Bahamas Academy – 2. Junior girls 1. St Augustine’s – 174. 2, Queen’s College – 142. 3, St Anne’s – 86. 4, Jordan Prince Williams – 59. 5, Faith Temple Academy – 30. 6, St Andrew’s School – 24. 7, Nassau Christian Academy – 16. 8, St John’s – 15. 9, Temple Christian Academy – 13. 10, Aquinas College – 11. 11, Charles W. Saunders – 10. Intermediate girls 1, Queen’s College – 209. 2, St Augustine’s College – 190. 3, St John’s – 65. 4, Temple Christian Academy – 48.50. 5, St Anne’s – 38. 6, Aquinas College – 37. 7, Nassau Christian Academy – 29. 8, St Andrew’s School – 23.50. 9, Jordan Prince Williams – 1-. 10, Faith Temple Academy – 3. Senior girls 1, St Augustine’s College – 262. 2, Queen’s College – 122.50. 3, St Anne’s – 98. 4, Aquinas College – 61. 5, St John’s – 51. 6, St Andrew’s School – 44.50. 7, Nassau Christian Academy – 31. Temple Christian Academy – 13. Bahamas Academy – 3. Jordan Prince Williams – 3. Faith Temple Academy – 1. Bantam boys 1, Queen’s College – 94. 2, St Augustine’s College – 89. 3, St Andrew’s School – 55. 4, St John’s College – 43. 5, Temple Christian Academy – 33. 5, St Anne’s – 33. 7, Nassau Christian Academy – 28. 8, Aquinas College – 22.50. 9, Jordan Prince Williams – 14. 9, Charles W Saunders – 14. 11, Bahamas Academy – .50. Junior boys 1, Queen’s College – 208. 2, St Augustine’s College – 129. 3, St Anne’s – 69.50. 4, Temple Christian Academy – 52. 5, Nassau Christian Academy – 33.50. 6, Charles W Saunders – 33. 7, St Andrew’s School – 25. 8, St John’s College – 24. 9, Kingsway Academy – 21. 10, Faith Temple Academy – 13. 11, Aquinas College – 12. 12, Bahamas Academy – 1. Intermediate boys 1, Queen’s College – 210. 2, St Augustine’s College – 163. 3, St Anne’s – 72. 4, St John’s College – 44. 5, St Andrew’s School – 36. 6, Temple Christian Academy – 35. 7, Nassau Christian Academy – 30. 8, Aquinas College – 29. 9, Faith Temple Academy – 24. 10, Charles W Saunders – 23. 11, Kingsway Academy – 19. 12, Jordan Prince Williams – 5. 12, Bahamas Academy – 5. Senior boys 1, St Augustine’s College – 187. 2, Queen’s College – 160. 3, Temple Christian Academy – 67. 4, St John’s College – 64. 5, St Anne’s School – 50.50. 6, St Andrew’s School – 37. 7, Jordan Prince Williams – 27.50. 8, Kingsway Academy – 17.50. 9, Bahamas Academy – 17. 10, Nassau Christian Academy – 16.50. 11, Faith Temple Academy – 16. 12, Charles W. Saunders – 14. 13, Aquinas College – 8.

\f Friday, January 31, 202

Blue Chips Athletics’ Carifta qualifiers Rhema Otabor, Nathaniel Zervos and Keyshawn Strachan are pictured from left to right.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#SO far, about 12 athletes have attained the qualifying standard for this year’s CARIFTA Games, scheduled for the Easter holiday weekend in Hamilton, Bermuda.

#Out of that number, nine have attained the standard in field events, four of whom are members of the Blue Chips Athletic Club, headed by coach Corrington Maycock, who all did their marks in the javelin.

#They include national junior record holder Rhema Otabor in the under-20 girls’ division, Keyshawn Strachan and Michaelangelo Bullard, both in the under-20 boys’ division and newcomer Nathaniel Zervos in the under-17 boys’ division.

#“From the offseason, we set our goal to have them qualify and qualify early,” Maycock said. “We can now focus on getting ready for the games and trying to win more medals.”

#Within the next month, Maycock anticipates that there will be a few more competitors from his club qualifying. However, they will have to wait until the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations holds its final trials March 27-28 to determine if they make the team.

#In the meantime, the athletes are all excited about their achievements.

#Otabor, posting her qualifying mark of 47.95 metres or 157-feet, 3-inches at the T-Bird Flyers Track Classic, erased Tracy Morrison’s junior national record of 47.52m (155-11), set at the CARIFTA Games in Guadeloupe on April 17, 2006.

#“I’m very happy that I made the qualifying standard so early in the season,” said the 17-year-old math major at the University of the Bahamas.

#“I’m happy with the marks. I’m happy that I threw that far.”

#Otabor, the defending under-20 girls’ champion from last year’s CARIFTA in the Cayman Islands, said she had to work more on her technique and her run-up.

#“If I can correct those stuff and tweak my performance, I would be straight going into CARIFTA,” said Otabor, whose aim is to throw at least 55m (180-5) this year.

#Being around so many athletes who have attained the standards and are close to qualifying, Otabor said it makes a difference because “it helps to keep our focus because we are all working hard.”

#She noted that coach Maycock has pushed her, sometimes too hard, but she’s seen the results, having established a CARIFTA record in her first appearance in the under-17 girls’ division with a toss of 44.21m (145-0) here at home in 2018.

#Since making his successful debut in the under-17 boys’ division when he threw the spear 50.14m (164-6) for the silver at home in 2018, Strachan returned to capture the gold in a CARIFTA-record performance of 64.31m (211-0) in the Cayman Islands. Now he’s even more inspired to compete this year in Bermuda, even though he will be moving up to the under-20 boys’ division.

#“I try to stay focused and spend a lot of time watching my videos from training,” said the 16-year-old St John’s College 12th grader.

#“I love this sport. I love competing. It has done so much for me already. I came from Andros and when coach Maycock first saw me at the 2016 Nationals, I didn’t have a coach, but he was willing to help me achieve my goals. I really want to thank him. I think if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today.”

#Strachan, who also went on to win the gold medal at the NACAC under-20 Championships last year, said having qualified for CARIFTA, he would like to throw at least 68m (223-1).

#“That’s my goal for this year and then progress from there,” he projected. “Being around the athletes in the club really push me because you can slip up some times.

#“But I love training with them and communicating with them. I just feel like I am on top when we work out together. We help each other out tremendously.”

#Last year in the Cayman Islands, Bullard got fourth in the under-20 boys’ spear with his heave of 59.69m (195-10) behind team-mate Hughie Rolle, who clinched the bronze with 60.45m (198-4).

#This is just Zervos’ first year working with Maycock since he took a break from playing baseball to transition to athletics. The Queen’s College student made the under-17 boys’ javelin standard with his toss of 53.59m (175-10) in his first meet.

#“From the first day, coach Maycock told me that I would qualify in the first meet and he had faith in me,” Zervos said. “So when it happened, I was happy, but I wasn’t surprised.

#Zervos said he’s hoping to make it a fun year as he improves on his performance and eventually medal at CARIFTA.

#“The athletes in our club constantly remind me of what I need to do and how to better my technique,” he said. “I really need to improve on my run-up. My goal is 65 metres (213-3). It’s a bet that I have with my coach.”

#As time progresses, Maycock said he will continue to work on the basic fundamentals with the athletes, making sure that they stay focused on the goal ahead of them and that is to go to CARIFTA and win a medal.

#Unofficially, the list of qualifiers so far for CARIFTA are as follows:

#Under-17 girls

#Shaunece Miller, high jump, 1.63 (5-4 1/4)

#Under-17 boys

#Stephen Farquharson, high jump, 1.95m (6-4 3/4)

#Dondre Saunders, high jump, 1.93m (6-4)

#Nathaniel Zervos, javelin, 53.59m (175-10)

#Carlos Brown, 100m, 10.89 seconds

#Under-20 girls

#Megan Moss, 400m, 53.67 seconds

#Rhema Otabor, javelin, 47.95m (157-3)

#Anthaya Charlton, long jump, 5.66m

#Under-20 boys

#Shaun Miller, high jump, 2.08m (6-9 3/4)

#Terrance Jones, 200m, 21.0 seconds

#Keyshawn Strachan, javelin, 63.76m (209-2)

#Michaelangelo Bullard, javelin, 61.12m (200-6)

DIVISIONAL WINNERS with their awards at the Red Line Athletics Track Club awards presentation at SAC on Saturday night.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

A proud Megan Moss with her awards.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#COLLEGIAN Megan Moss returned home to claim the Red-Line Athletics Track Club’s coveted Athlete of the Year award.

#Although she arrived home late after her flight from Florida was delayed on Saturday night, Moss joined a host of outstanding performers at the awards ceremony that was held at the St Augustine’s College pool.

#Among the winners in the various categories were Adrian Curry (under-20 boys), Joshua Miller (most improved athlete), Davon Johnson and Otto Laing (under-17 boys co-winners), Samaa Moxey (under-17 girls), Alejandro Rolle (under-15 boys), Jadan Clarke (under-13 boys), Madison Moss (under-13 girls) and Aiden Curry (under-11 boys).

#The awards were all based on the athlete’s athletic performances, but head coach Tito Moss said they intend to extend it to their academic accomplishments next year.

#His daughter, Megan Moss, exemplified both her athletic and academic prowess, having graduated from St Augustine’s College this year with a 3.76 GPA and accumulative of 3.55 with 9 BGCEs with 6 A’s and 3 B’s, while participating on the Big Red Machine’s track team and representing the Bahamas on four international teams.

#Unbeaten locally in the 400m, Moss went on to compete at the CARIFTA Games in the Cayman Islands (where she is a co-record holder of the under-17 girls 400m in 53.16 seconds), the Youth Olympics in Argentina; the NACAC Under-18 and U-23 Championships in Mexico and U-20 Championships in Costa Rica.

#Having posted a lifetime best of 53.06 to earn her the number one spot in the world in the U-20 division and 23rd overall in the world, Moss is now at the University of Kentucky where she completed her first semester as a freshman with a 4.00 GPA. She will begin competition for the Wildcats when she returns to Kentucky in January.

#“I am definitely honoured to get Athlete of the Year for my club,” Moss said. “I definitely had some great performances this year, but also some disappointing performances. But overall, it was a great season and all the hard work really paid off.”

#While running her personal best in the CARIFTA trials was the highlight for her this year, Moss said not securing a medal at the Games was her biggest disappointment. But she admitted that going to the University of Kentucky in August has balanced it all out.

#“I’ve had a great experience so far making the transition,” said Moss, who is pursuing a degree in human health sciences. “Both the athletic side and the academic side have been a great transition. I’m just looking forward to breaking some of my personal and school records and to qualify for the Olympic Games (in Tokyo, Japan).”

#Under the tutelage of “Golden Girl” Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky, headed by Bahamian Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene, Moss feels she’s in the right atmosphere to accomplish her goals next year.

#“It’s just a great and comforting environment,” said Moss, who is home to take advantage of another Bahamian Christmas before she returns to school on January 1. “I just want to encourage the other athletes in the club to stay focused, continue working hard and everything will fall into place for them in the end.”

#Sasha Knowles, another graduate from SAC now in her freshman year at Clayton State University, received the honourable mention for the under-20 girls’ division behind Moss.

#The 17-year-old biology major is now being coached by veteran Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown in her new environment in Georgia.

#“I thought it was going to be difficult, but it wasn’t that hard,” said Knowles, who ran some cross country events and will begin her indoor season when she returns in January.

#“I’m actually glad that I am with Chris. He has a very good personality and I’m glad that I could form an athlete-coach relationship with him.”

#Adrian Curry, having graduated from SAC this year as well, will be enrolling as a health science major at Ohio State in January with Devine Parker and Shaun Miller as they join Tavonte Mott.

#Together, 18-year-old Curry said they hope to make some noise as they try and qualify for CARIFTA and the Olympics.

#“I feel I worked very hard this season and I’m very glad that coach came up with the awards this year and that I won,” said Curry, who was unbeaten this year for SAC’s Big Red Machine in his speciality in the men’s 100m, posting a season’s best of 10.41.

#“Overall my season wasn’t as bad, but as how some of the qualifying standards were set, it was a bit annoying for me, but I still went out and made some of the national teams and got medals and made my country proud. So this was probably one of my best seasons.”

#Both Otto Laing, a sprinter/long jumper at St Augustine’s College and Davon Johnson, a sprinter from St Anne’s School, shared the top award for the under-17 boys division.

#Johnson, a 16-year-old 12th grader, said he was thankful to God for the opportunity to accomplish what he did.

#“I knew the work and the determination that I put in to produce my performances,” said Johnson, who clocked 10.98 in the 100m and was a member of the under-17 boys 4x100m relay team that picked up a silver at CARIFTA “I’m really proud of myself.

#“Next season, I’m looking forward to making CARIFTA again and I want to win another medal for my team. I will be moving up to the under-20 division, but I know I have to put in more work.”

#Samaa Mackey, the under-17 girls winner as an 800m specialist, said she put in the hard work and it all paid off.

#“I ran very fast this year,” said Mackey, a 26-year-old 11th grader at SAC, who was extremely proud of her personal best of 2:41.27 in the two-lap race. “I want to make the CARIFTA team next year and to win a medal.”

#Tito Moss, the founder of the club, said he advised the athletes and their parents that they will hold an awards presentation this year. He said having achieved that goal, they intend to recognise the athletes for their academics next year.

#“These kids are student-athletes and I want the emphasis to be on their academics as well as athletics,” he said.

#“So as the club grows, we will be doing more to show our appreciation to them. We also honoured parents and our physio-therapist, Mike Armbrister and St Augustine’s College, who allow us to use the school as our base.”

#As one of the parents honoured, Ricardo Miller said since the inception of the club he has had a lot of respect for Moss as a coach and he was even more thrilled when his son Joshua decided to join.

#As a result of his performance, Joshua was named the Most Improved Athlete of the Year.

#“I’m looking for bigger and better things next year,” said Ricardo Miller. “They have a lot of new athletes and they are training hard and doing well. So I will continue to support the club because I see where they are making strides.”

\ Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Davon Johnson

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#HE graduated in the St Anne’s Class of 2019 as the valedictorian, but now Red Line Athletics’ sprinter Davon Johnson has decided to follow in the footsteps of his older brother David III at St John’s University in Minnesota.

#“Things are going good. I didn’t expect to be here after the coronavirus came along, but everything is going good,” the younger Johnson told The Tribune.

#“I spent a couple of days here with my brother getting a couple of things done before I move onto the campus. So everything is going well and I can’t wait to start my journey at St John’s.”

#With the coronavirus putting a damper on many student-athletes making their transition from high school to college, Johnson said he’s looking forward to the strict protocols in place to help mitigate the spread of the disease on campus.

#“Some persons will be doing classes virtually and some persons will be doing classes face to face, so I just want to see how everything will work out,” said Johnson, who will begin his classes on August 30 as he pursues a degree in accounting.

#While he was able to secure a partial scholarship for academics, due to the fact that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology limited the amount of assistance given to students during the pandemic, Johnson said he will expect to compete for the Athletic team when the season gets started next year. “I want to compete for the track team. I just haven’t been in contact with the coaches as yet,” said Johnson, who goes in with a personal best of 10.9 seconds in the 100 metres.

#It was not an easy task in completing his tenure as a high school student, but Johnson said the experience will definitely prepare him for college.

#“I was really just motivated to achieve the goals that I set out for myself,” said Johnson when asked how he managed to juggle competing in track and his studies to emerge as the most outstanding student-athlete for the Blue Waves at St Anne’s.

#“It really comes down to being motivated and putting your trust in God, believing that he will see you through and allow you to achieve your goals and aspirations. I’m thankful to God for what I have accomplished.”

#For the second consecutive year, Johnson made the CARIFTA team, picking up his first medal as a member of the under-17 boys 4 x 100m relay team that finished second at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in George Town, Cayman Islands. He also made the finals of the 100m where he was seventh in 11.07. “I just hope to give it my all when I go to train over here. I want to get in good shape so that I can come home and make the CARIFTA team again,” said Johnson, who made his CARIFTA debut in 2018 here at home at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

#The 2020 CARIFTA Games, the 49th version of the top junior regional track and field competition, was scheduled for the Bermuda National Sports Centre in Devonshire, Bermuda over the Easter holiday weekend, but was postponed to 2021 because of the coronavirus.

#Having celebrated his 17th birthday on July 13, Johnson will be moving up to the under-20 division in 2021. But now that he’s moved out of his family nest in Johnson Terrace, headed by parents David Jr and Joanne Johnson, Johnson feels he will be better prepared for the challenge ahead of him. “God set me up to be here right now. I had a rough time because I didn’t know how I would have made it with the border closed because of COVID-19,” Johnson reflected. “I just want to thank God for allowing me to be here. It’s just a blessing.”

#After David III informed him about his experience at St John’s, having graduated two years ago and is now working for a company called Veritis in Minneapolis, Davon said he was eager to enrol at the school and he was advised that they had an excellent accounting programme, which could help him in his future endeavours from an academic standpoint.

#“I want to thank God, thank everybody who supported me and all of my family for the sacrifices that they made to send me off to school and to put me in an environment where I can excel and improve in life,” Johnson summed up.

#“I also want to thank all of my friends, who encouraged me on this journey. I hope that I won’t let any of you down as I come here and do what I have to do.”

Antoan Richardson

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#At the midway point of Major League Baseball’s shortened season, Antoan Richardson and the San Francisco Giants are in the midst of the National League wild-card race.

#The Giants are currently on a six-game winning streak and improved their record to 14-16 with a 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California.

#Halfway through the season, the Giants are third in the NL West and No. 7 in the NL overall. Eight of the 15 teams in the NL will advance to the playoffs.

#The Giants open up a three-game home stand tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

#San Francisco got off to a slow start to the season at 8-16 but have worked their way back into contention for a playoff spot at the 30-game mark in the 60-game season.

#“I believe in this club, I believe in the resilient nature of this club, I believe in the offensive strides we’ve made, obviously the starting pitching has been one of the strengths of this club, I believe in our capability from every angle right now,” first year manager Gabe Kapler said to the Mercury News.

#Over the course of the last six games, the Giants have outscored opponents by 29 runs with a differential of 42-13.

#In February 2019, Richardson re-joined the Giants, the club where he began his professional career. In his role as an outfield coordinator, he was tasked at overseeing on-field development throughout the organisation.

#He had the opportunity to serve as a first base coach at the major league level for the first time late last season.

#Richardson coached first for the Giants for a single game last June in their 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

#Regular first-base coach Jose Alguacil was away from the team attending his son’s graduation, and the Giants rewarded Richardson with the call-up.

#Kapler brought Richardson on as a full-time member of the staff for the 2020 season.

#In the offseason prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Richardson had an immediate impact following the team’s first few Spring Training games, particularly on its base running.

#The Giants posted a whiteboard in their clubhouse at Scottsdale Stadium which recognised the “baserunning BOSS” from each game. Kapler credited Richardson for the team’s emphasis on leads and turns this spring in an effort to gain the edge on the basepaths.

#He also joined several players and staff that knelt during the national anthem before the Giants’ 6-2 exhibition victory against the Oakland Athletics.

#The group included right fielder Jaylin Davis, who is African American and appeared in just 17 games for the Giants.

#Davis said he leaned on Richardson for support as one of the few minorities in a leadership position within the game. As a player, Richardson was drafted by the Giants in the 35th round of the 2005 MLB Draft.

Bahamian woman golfer Georgette Rolle, Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic participant coaches students in basic techniques at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic Jr Golf Clinic at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Tuesday, January 26, 2016. Photos: Kemuel Stubbs/BIS

Wednesday, January 27, 201r

#For budding Bahamian golfers, learning the game from professional golfers on the world-famous Tom Weiskopf-designed Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island was a double treat.

#On Tuesday, about 40 students from public, private and home-schooled institutions were coached in basic techniques by Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic participants Bahamian Georgette Rolle, Brittany Lincicome, Florida and Kris Tamulis, Florida.

#The clinic was co-ordinated by the tournament organisers and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, and sponsored mainly by the Royal Bank of Canada (Bahamas).

#Samantha Cartwright of the Tourism Cadet and Schools Unit said the Ministry’s involvement is to ensure the brightest and best young people be given the best chance of exposure during these events.

#Natasha Wright, assistant manager products, marketing and channels, explained that RBC has a strong connection with golf and sponsoring charitable events; raising $30,000 last year for the Salvation Army.

#She said that Junior Golf Clinic helps to build character in young people and expose them to other areas they are interested in. Ms Wright said sponsoring such events is important for the image of the bank to be seen as more than a lending institution.

#Samantha Hepburn, a grade six student of Blairwood Academy was happy to learn such basic golfing techniques like golf grip, golf swing, golf follow-through and perfect putting.

#Karen Calvesbert, tournament manager said it was important for the LPGA to give back to the sport, which also provides a great opportunity to get young people involved. She said that professional women golfers enjoy interacting with young people, especially visiting other countries on the LPGA tour.

#This is the fourth year The Bahamas through the Ministry of Tourism is hosting the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

#A total of 108 golfers will compete in the fourth annual tournament, which offers a purse of $1.4m, plus a full allocation of points in the Race to the CME Globe season-long competition. The winner receives $195,000 and 500 CME Globe points. Defending champion is Sei Young Kim, the 2015 Louis Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year.

#The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organisation for female professional golfers. The organisation is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for the elite female golfers from around the world.

#The Pure-Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic is the first on the LPGA season and ends on November 20 at the Gold Course of the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

Hyo Joo Kim, winner of the 2016 Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, shows off her trophy. Photo by Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

\ Tuesday, February 2, 2016

#MINISTRY of Tourism officials are already planning for an exciting Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA 2017 after history was made Sunday at the Ocean Club Golf Course.

#Twenty-year-old Hyo-Joo Kim of South Korea beat over 100 of the best female golfers in the world after she held on to a two-stroke lead over previous champion golfers Stacy Lewis and Sei Young Kim.

#“I was worried because it is more windy in The Bahamas than I expected,” Kim admitted through a translator at the closing ceremony. “But it is a very beautiful place and I hope that I continue to do well for the rest of the year.”

#Kim, who seems to be on a winning streak after two previous competitions, took home $210,000.

#Through the event, the Islands of The Bahamas made sports history as South Korea’s Ha Na Jang scored the first par four hole-in-one albatross in LPGA’s history.  

#The jaw-dropping play was done on the 8th hole at the Ocean Club, during the third rounds in the golf tournament.  

#Ha Na used a three-wood, the hole was listed at 232 yards and was playing at 218 yards.

#While the Golf Channel carried 10 hours of live footage of The Bahamas, the historical play was picked up by ESPN which immediately tagged the shot @ LPGA never do and then tweeted the shot stating “it was unbelievable.” 

#Within minutes, the story received more than 25 million views and has since then been picked by every major television network and news organisation around the world.

#Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, said the event exceeded expectations.

#“It was just another phenomenal event staged in The Bahamas this time at the Ocean Club on Paradise Island. History was once again made. The hole-in-one went in viral all around the world. It is a great event. It was well-organised, the weather held up, the course looked fantastic and it was just the icing on the cake,” she said.

#The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has signed on to host the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic for another three years and Jibrilu said the tournament will only get better over time.

#“It will grow from strength to strength,” she said.

#“Every year it has grown, including the viewership on the Golf Channel. It can only get better.”      

#Emily Norell, tournament director, said she expects even more publicity from LPGA.

#“This is by far the best year that we’ve had in terms of volunteers and the efforts we have had on staff so we could not be more pleased with how this ended,” she said. “It can only get better and better. Our goal was to get crowds out there and I think we definitely did that. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday – we definitely filled the stands this year.

#“There has been more people than has ever been and I think this tournament is really going to gain traction as each year goes by. You can’t find a better place – Paradise Island, the Ocean Club – it is a beautiful place and it shows that The Bahamas can host the best.

Georgette Rolle takes a photo with her Golf Caddy Ricardo Davis at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Club Golf Course, Friday. (BIS photo/Kemuel Stubbs)

As of Friday, January 29, 2016

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#Georgette Rolle shot 85 in Round 2 ending her chance to compete for the winning title in the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Club Golf Course, on Friday.

#At about 1:30pm she made her way to the scoring tent to get her final score, after which she said it was time to think about her next step – qualifying for the upcoming summer Olympics in Brazil.

#“I still have the same end point in mind – the Olympics. I came out here, hitting the ball well but when I make a mistake it gets be a little bent out of shape,” she said.

#“It is a lot to swallow,” she added, “especially being at home it is a little more difficult. I will now focus on getting qualified for the Olympics and make sure I give it my all so I have no regrets.”

#However, she said she was proud and honoured to still be playing at a level to again represent The Bahamas in the tournament at the world famous Tom Weiskopf-designed Ocean Club Golf Course.

#Rolle, 30, who competed in the 2014 tournament, is a two-time winner of The Bahamas National Amateur Championship and is teaching professionally at the Bahamas Golf Federation Driving Range.

#She was among 108 players competing in the fourth edition of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, which offers a purse of $1.4 million and is the opening event of the 2016 LPGA season. Sei Young Kim is the defending champion.

#This is the fourth year The Bahamas, through the Ministry of Tourism, is hosting the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, January 25 -31.

#By LINDSAY THOMPSON

As of Thursday, January 29, 2015

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#MINISTRY of Tourism officials are feverishly working towards staging the second Pure Silk LPGA Classic Tournament – an event officials are hoping will be a shot in the arm for the Bahamian economy.

#The event is scheduled to be held February 2-8 at Ocean Club, Paradise Island.

#Over 120 of the world’s best female golfers are expected to play in the tournament.

#This year’s Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, which offers a purse of $1.3 million, is the second event on the LPGA’s 2015 schedule.

#Golf Channel will provide 10 hours of live coverage beginning on Thursday, February 5 from 11:30am to 2:30pm.

#Live second-round coverage on Friday also is 11:30 am to 2:30pm, while live coverage of the final two rounds Saturday and Sunday will air 3-5pm.

#Virginia Kelly, general manager of Sports Tourism Development, says the event promises to be fun for the entire family.

#“We absolutely want Bahamians to come. Golf is free. Shuttles have been arranged for transportation to the golf course so you can just come and park your cars. Come on out and enjoy a couple of days in the sun with us,” she said.

#Ms Kelly also spoke about the economic value of the tournament.

#“In addition to the 120 players, they also travel with their family, their caddies, managers and their family members. So people who are directly connected with the tournament could bring in about 600 to 700 persons like that. And then we would have fans come along.

#“We have someone who won a sweepstake who is coming and so we are really trying to get the word out about The Bahamas. We tried to do something different this year and we are seeing the traction.” 

#Seven of the top-10 players in the Rolex Rankings and 18 of the top 25 have committed to play in the tournament, including defending champion Jessica Korda.

#The early commitments list also includes world No. 1 Inbee Park, No. 2 Lydia Ko and No. 3 Stacy Lewis. Ilhee Lee, who won the inaugural edition, also is entered. 

#Locally, Bahamian champion Raquel Riley, who competed multiple times for the Bahamian National Team and Kathleen Ekey, a former Player of the Year on the Symetra Tour, have received sponsor invitations to the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

#Gates open at 7am each day. On Saturday, there will be a Kids Zone from noon to 5pm.

#For more information visit www.puresilkbahamas.com