LPGA TOUR: Heading the list of golfers is top ranked Lydia Ko (right) of New Zealand and Inbee Park (left), of South Korea. (AP)

As of Thursday, January 7, 2016

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#A mainstay on the Bahamas’ sports tourism calendar for the immediate future, the Ladies Professional Golfers Association (LPGA) Pure Silk-Bahamas Classic is set to tee off in just over two weeks featuring the best 120 female golfers in the world.

#This year’s tournament, to be hosted January 25-31 at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island, will be the third edition and stakeholders have reached an agreement to ensure that the Bahamas plays the role of hosts through 2018.

#Pure Silk and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism signed a three-year contract, which includes a purse increase of $100,000 to $1.4 million, and establishes the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic as the season-opening event on the LPGA schedule.

#This year’s event will feature the top ranked golfers on the LPGA Tour.

#Heading the list is top ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand with 10 career victories and 39 career top 10 finishes to her résumé. In 2015 she became the youngest player ever to win the Rolex Player of the Year, was the “Race to CME Globe” winner and the tour’s money winner.

#Ranked No.2 is Inbee Park of South Korea, a former world No.1 who has won seven major championships in her career, including the Women’s PGA Championship and Women’s British Open last season.

#When the agreement was signed, both representatives from the LPGA and the Ministry of Tourism spoke on their optimism of the partnership.

#“We cannot thank our partners at Pure Silk and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism enough for their loyal support,” said Jeff Raedle, president of Global Golf Management, the organisation that manages the tournament. “Their generous commitments provide a solid foundation for the tournament moving forward. We feel that cementing the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic as the lead-in event on the LPGA calendar is pure magic.”

#“We are very excited to be partnering with Pure Silk to host the already popular Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for another three years,” said Minister Wilchcombe. “Sports are intrinsic to the Bahamian culture, and we have a particularly close relationship to golf, and are fast tracking our golf product to be the best in the region. Hosting this wonderful tournament for the LPGA allows us to both support a beloved sport as well as share our courses with golf enthusiasts around the world. We truly look forward to further strengthening the popularity of this wonderful competition and cannot wait to watch the tournament in 2016.”

#The Bahamas will be represented by Georgette Rolle who was able to out-distance Raquel Riley by five strokes to secure the Bahamas’ berth in the event at last month’s playoff.

#At the two-day trial hosted by the Bahamas Golf Federation at the Ocean Club on Paradise Island, Rolle shot rounds of 83 and 85 on Saturday and Sunday for a cumulative score of 168 to regain the spot she held two years ago. Riley, the Bahamas representative last year, had to settle as the runner-up with rounds of 85 and 88 for her total of 173. That will allow her to compete in the qualifying round to earn her way into the tournament.

#By virtue of winning the tournament, 29-year-old Rolle will be the face of the Bahamas once again in the tournament. Two other competitors participated, but collegian Taneka Sandiford and teenager Inecia Rolle didn’t fare as well and were out of contention.

#Rolle, the teaching professional at the Bahamas Golf Federation’s Driving Range, said she was extremely delighted to be back in the swing of things after relinquishing the spot she held two years ago to Riley last year.

#The Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic brings about 120 golfers from around the world to Paradise to compete for a purse of $1.3 million, 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.

Friday, August 21, 2020

#THE Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has announced the launch of a first-of-its kind virtual Closest to the Pin golf shootout.

#This unique competition will feature LPGA Tour professionals and golf industry personalities going head-to-head live on YouTube.

#The Islands Of The Bahamas Virtual Shootout is set for 7pm September 2 and will feature 16 contestants, among them two-time Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic Champion Brittany Lincicome, 2019 Bahamas Shootout Champion Alison Lee, long drive champion Troy Mullins, and trick shot artist Tania Tare.

#The competition format will be one shot, survive and advance, in a March Madness style bracket configuration. Fans can tune in to watch on the WGT Golf YouTube channel.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE preliminary draw has been set as CONCACAF continues to reveal its restructured qualification process for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

#The first round draw, featuring 35 member federations, will be hosted August 19 in Zurich, Switzerland and streamed live on FIFA.com

#The Bahamas will be placed in “Pot Five” along with Aruba, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and Anguilla.

#Pot One includes El Salvador, Canada, Curaçao, Panama, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago. Pot Two will feature Antigua and Barbuda, Guatemala, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Nicaragua and The Dominican Republic. Pot Three features Grenada, Barbados, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Bermuda and Belize. Finally, Pot Four includes St Lucia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Montserrat, Dominica and The Cayman Islands.

#The Qatar 2022 qualification will feature three rounds vying for three and-a-half World Cup spots.

#The First Round (30 teams) will feature CONCACAF teams ranked 6-35 based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings as of July 16, 2020.

#The Bahamas is currently ranked No. 30 based on the aforementioned rankings. The draw will feature six groups of five teams in a single round robin format. Each team will play every other team in their group once, playing a total of four matches – two home and two away.

#At the end of the first round the six group winners will progress to the Second Round. The second round (six teams) will be played between the group winners from the First Round in a home-and-away in a direct elimination format.

#The three winners will progress to the Final Round. The final round (eight teams) of the qualifiers will feature the three winners from round two and teams based 1-5 on the FIFA rankings.

#The top three teams will advance to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the fourth placed team will qualify for the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff, scheduled to be played in June 2022.

#The Bahamas returned to regional competition at the senior men’s national team level last year in the CONCACAF Nations League and emerged as the top group team in League C, Group B.

#The Bahamas finished as group winners with 10 points, and earned a berth in both League B and the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers.

Thursday, July 30, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#CONCACAF has restructured its qualification process for several events and announced a new calendar for its regional events amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

#The organisation revealed a new format for the CONCACAF Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and updated the way forward for both the Nations League and 2021 Gold Cup.

#The Qatar 2022 qualification will feature three rounds vying for three and a half World Cup spots. The First Round (30 teams) will feature CONCACAF teams ranked 6-35 based on the FIFA rankings as of July 16, 2020.

#The Bahamas is currently ranked No. 30 based on the aforementioned rankings. The draw will feature six groups of five teams. Each team will play every other team in their group once, playing a total of four matches; two home and two away. These games will be played in the FIFA match windows of October 2020 and November 2020.

#At the end of the first round the six group winners will progress to the Second Round. The second round (six teams) will be played between the group winners from the First Round in a home-and-away in a direct elimination format in the FIFA match window of March 2021.

#The three winners will progress to the Final Round. The final round (eight teams) of the qualifiers will feature the three winners from round two and teams based 1-5 on the FIFA rankings as of July 16, 2020. The Final Round will begin June 2021 and continue in the FIFA match windows of September, October, November 2021 and January and March 2022.

#The top three teams will advance to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the fourth placed team will qualify for the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff, scheduled to be played in June 2022.

#The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup is now tentatively scheduled to commence July 10, 2021 to August 1, 2021.

#The CONCACAF “Road to Gold Cup Qualifiers” were originally scheduled to take place March 2020 and June 2020, however, play was suspended due to COVID-19.

#The Bahamas will be one of 12 teams to participate in a centralised Gold Cup preliminary round that will take place in the United States a week prior to the Gold Cup group stages.

#Other participating teams will include Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

#The Bahamas returned to regional competition last year in the CONCACAF Nations League and emerged as the top group team in League C, Group B.

#The Bahamas finished as group winners with 10 points, and earned a berth in both League B and the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers.

#They began the series when they defeated Bonaire 2-1 at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium back in September, the first game of the home-and-away series. The Bahamas topped the British Virgin Islands 4-0 on October 9 at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.

#The Junkanoo Boyz returned home on November 14 with a 3-0 win over BVI. They closed out the stage with a 1-1 draw against Bonaire at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao, to solidify the top spot in League C, Group B.

#“Many communities across the CONCACAF region continue to face very difficult circumstances due to the current public health situation and my thoughts and prayers go out to them,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani.

#“Given the suspension of the March, June and September FIFA match windows, and with so many of our member associations unable to complete a full FIFA rankings cycle, the previous CONCACAF Qualifiers were compromised, and a new approach was required.

#“We have some great football to look forward to later this year and in 2021,” added Montagliani. “Our next priorities are to continue progressing plans for the resumption of our club competitions and to ensure we finalise a women’s international calendar for the coming years which supports the continued development of women’s football in our region.”

Thursday, August 20, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#The Bahamas learned its possible path to a berth in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following CONCACAF’s preliminary qualification draw.

#The Junkanoo Boyz were placed in Group F of the new restructured qualification process, alongside top seed Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana and Puerto Rico.

#Group A includes El Salvador, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat and the US Virgin Islands.

#Group B is led by Canada and includes Suriname, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Aruba. Group C includes Curacao, Guatemala, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba and the British Virgin Islands.

#Group D comprises Panama, The Dominican Republic, Barbados, Dominica and Anguilla.

#Finally, Group E is headed by Haiti and includes Nicaragua, Belize, St Lucia and The Turks and Caicos Islands.

#“Many communities across the CONCACAF region continue to face very difficult circumstances due to the current public health situation and my thoughts and prayers go out to them,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani in a press release.

#“Given the suspension of the March, June and September FIFA match windows, and with so many of our member associations unable to complete a full FIFA rankings cycle, the previous CONCACAF Qualifiers were compromised, and a new approach was required.”

#The Qatar 2022 qualification will feature three rounds vying for three and-a-half World Cup spots. The First Round (30 teams) will feature CONCACAF teams ranked 6-35 based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings as of July 16, 2020.

#The Bahamas is currently ranked No. 30 based on the aforementioned rankings. Groups will compete in a single round robin format. Each team will play every other team in their group once, playing a total of four matches – two home and two away.

#At the end of the first round the six group winners will progress to the second round. The second round (six teams) will be played between the group winners from the first round in a home-and-away in a direct elimination format.

#The three winners will progress to the final round featuring eight teams, the three winners from round two and teams based 1-5 on the FIFA rankings.

#Mexico, the USA, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Honduras have already qualified directly for the third round.

#The top three teams will advance to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the fourth placed team will qualify for the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff, scheduled to be played in June 2022.

#The Bahamas most recently competed in regional competition at the senior men’s national team level last year in the CONCACAF Nations League and emerged as the top group team in League C, Group B.

#The Bahamas finished as group winners with 10 points, and earned a berth in both League B and the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers.

Add titlePermalink:http://sportsinthebahamas.com/blog/2020/07/27/ymca-supports-lockdown/‎(opens in a new tab)Edit

YMCA CLOSED – YMCA Executive Director Karon Pinder-Johnson said that the organization is fully supportive of doing what’s best to protect the island’s residents.Sports  

July 24, 2020 

Shayne Stubbs

The recently implemented two-week lockdown instated for Grand Bahama by Competent Authority, Prime Minister Hubert A. Minnis might be considered a blow by many, but the YMCA is fully supportive of doing what’s be the island’s residents. 

Executive Director for the ‘Y’, Karon Pinder-Johnson informed The Freeport News, that safety always comes first. 

“First of all let me start by saying safety first. I would hate to know that my life, or anyone’s life is compromised because the necessary steps weren’t taken to ensure Bahamians, and, those living within our country are put in a safe position, first and foremost.

“As for as the YMCA and the lockdown, it’s going to be a blow to us, because we operate on a financial shoestring. We operate on donations and depend on participation of programs. When those two elements aren’t in place, we find it difficult to offer our services to residents of Grand Bahama. 

“Nonetheless, we will do our very best once the lockdown has ended to reopen and provide the much-needed services for the community,” she said. 

Prior to the announcement of the lockdown, the local organization was set to launch a free six-week senior adult tennis program for persons 55 and older, and, also expand the list of available services.

The YMCA also launched its program with time periods allotted to groups of 12.

“Before the lockdown we were planning to launch a way to get our seniors moving and that was through our tennis program. 

“We wanted to extend the initiative by doing aerobics on the field. We were coming up with various ways to keep Grand Bahama moving, keeping seniors moving, and, keeping young people engaged. But of course, we’re right back to this safety element. 

“We must be cognizant of that, and, because of this I am in full agreement that the lockdown must come into play because the numbers (cases) have jumped tremendously. We need to adhere to it. We can’t think that if we don’t take this lockdown, to see how far we are as far as cases, then we’d be making a grave mistake. But, we’re hanging in there and we’re hoping for the best and preparing for the worst and doing our best to help the community.”

As of close of Monday July 20 the country’s COVID cases had increased to 174, with 101 confirmed cases confirmed in New Providence, 59 in Grand Bahama, 13 in Bimini and one case on Cat Cay. 

Since the opening of the country’s international borders, Grand Bahama has seen a significant surge in cases, with 51 new cases in just under two weeks.

 Edit with ElementorSwitch to draftPreview(opens in a new tab)UpdateAdd titlePermalink:http://sportsinthebahamas.com/blog/2020/07/27/hoytes-labor-tournament-canceled/‎(opens in a new tab)Edit

TOURNAMENT CANCELED – HOYTES’ Labor Day Tournament has been officially canceled by the organization’s founder, Coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee. (PHOTO: TFN FILES)

 July 24, 2020 

 FN Sports Reporter

Shayne Stubbs

With The Bahamas under lockdown due to COVID-19 Emergency Orders set in place by the Government of The Bahamas, back in June, the HOYTES (Helping Our Youth Through Education and Sports) Labor Day Basketball Tournament was earmarked to take place during the days leading up to the Emancipation Day holiday weekend this coming August. 

However, since the orders were lifted and the international borders were opened earlier this month, The Bahamas, particularly Grand Bahama, has seen a drastic spike in COVID-19 cases. That prompted the Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis to place the island under a two-week lockdown.

As a result, HOYTES Founder Gladstone “Moon” McPhee made the decision to officially cancel the tournament. 

The Labor Day Tournament is the organization’s biggest AAU style tournament of the year, which invites basketball program from around the country for five days of non-stop action.

“We have to cancel it. There’s no if, ands or buts about it,” he said.

“We spoke to some coaches and the money is hard to come by and everything else. We just have to deal with it. 

“We know the kids want to play and all sorts of other things, but sometimes you just can’t do it. You just can’t let it get you down. I sent a text out to some of the kids I work with in the morning time. 

“I told them if you have a ball and a yard or somewhere you could dribble, just work on your ball handling. Get out and run, and, just don’t get out of shape It’s easy to get out of shape, but it’s hard to get back into shape. Of course, I told them just to stay positive,” McPhee stated further.

The two-week lockdown, which commenced this past Thursday evening (July 23) has been a setback for many on the island. However, McPhee believes now it’s just something he and many will just have to endure until there is a clear way forward.

“It put us as coaches in a funny situation but what can we do about it? You can cry, but it is what it is. It’s more than just about the kids in Grand Bahama. This (COVID-19) is all over.

“All we can do is hope for the best.”

McPhee also sent out encouraging words to the number of athletes from the island who were set to travel to the United States to play basketball for their respective collegiate program. He urged them, also, to remain positive. 

“Stay positive and keep working. The way the situation is now, their only option at the moment is for them to workout at home. They can only hope to get some time and find some coaches who can work with them and get them ready to go off to college. 

“It’s a situation we didn’t expect but all we can do is deal with it,” he concluded.

Add titlePermalink:http://sportsinthebahamas.com/blog/2020/07/27/trevor-bain-joins-las-ranchos-team/‎(opens in a new tab)Edit

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF INTERNATIONALLY – Trevor Bain hoists the Zacatecas Basketball League championship trophy and championship Most Valuable Player award after Las Ranchos became champions in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. (PHOTO COURTESY OF TREVOR BAIN)Basketball, Sports  July 15, 2020  FN Sports Reporter Shayne Stubbs

Grand Bahamian basketball player Trevor Bain has been a household name locally, competing in various basketball leagues on the island, including the Grand Bahama Basketball Association (GBBA) and the YMCA Commercial League.

The former guard for the New Era Gym Rats, one of the top local teams in the GBBA, wowed a lot of fans with his speed and athleticism, while helping the team succeed locally and nationally. 

However, more was awaiting the local star. In September 2019, Bain participated in a G-League try-out in Orlando in an attempt to make one of the National Basketball Association’s Developmental League’s teams. While he did not make any of the teams, a scout from a team in the Zacatecas Basketball League of Mexico, promptly offered Bain a spot on the team. 

He actually landed on the Las Ranchos team. Despite missing most of the regular season due to injury, Bain helped the team win its first championship upon his return to the line-up, later in the season. 

The Freeport News caught up with Bain, recently, who shared the experience of playing for the foreign team. 

Of course, there was a steep difference in the styles of play between The Bahamas and Mexico. Nonetheless, according to Bain, he was able to make the adjustments necessary, which bared fruit for him and the team.

“I played in Puerto Escondido (a Municipality in Mexico). The experience was amazing and the city showed me a lot of love. 

“It was very different for me. I had to switch up the way I play and I had to learn to get my teammates more involved because I wasn’t surrounded by star players. So that was kind of difficult but in the end, it was all worth it,” he said.

Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic going on during the season, Bain informed they did not have to shut down as that city had no cases. 

The team went 45-27 and once Bain returned to the line-up for the final 24 games of the season, he averaged 28 points, eight rebounds, six assists and 2.7 steals per game.

That set up a monumental playoff run for Las Ranchos, which ultimately won Puerto Escondido’s first championship. Bain averaged 32 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists and 1.5 steals nightly during the playoff. 

Team chemistry certainly played a role for the team this year as it was also the first playoff appearance. It was certainly a memorable occasion for Bain who was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship. 

“The most memorable moment was winning a championship for that city because they never won a championship before and they never even made it to the playoffs.

“Going there my first year, and, being a part of that was the most memorable moment for me. I won the MVP trophy after we won the championship and it was also cool signing shirts, hats and stuff and taking pictures afterward. It was amazing.

“It made me a better player because I used to play fast, but now I play with more control and I have a more consistent shot.”

Bain admitted that being away from his family and friends here at home was a bit depressing but since returning home last week, he has been enjoying himself.

Currently, he plans to work out here at home while enjoying as much time as possible with his family. Bain also plans to return back to Puerto Escondido in January, pending the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Add titlePermalink:http://sportsinthebahamas.com/blog/2020/07/27/3742/‎(opens in a new tab)Edit

Anya James, BFA Executive Vice President

Sports  July 7, 2020 

 FN Sports Reporter Shayne Stubbs

The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) is hoping to get the ball rolling for the sport of soccer as soon as this week. 

On June 23, the national federation for soccer had a draft presented for a phased reopening. Minor details of that draft were presented by Executive Vice President Anya James this past Thursday, July 2 as soccer equipment items were presented to local soccer associations.

A date to activate soccer activity was not confirmed but James informed that the federation was in the process of finalizing the document and upon completion, it would be shared with stakeholders.

“We held a zoom meeting with a lot of our stakeholders and our executive team (BFA) to present a draft of our plans to re-engage our players and coaches into the game of football. We did this in conjunction with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines and also, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture. 

“We’ve gotten some feedback and we’re in the process of incorporating the changes of ideas into the document. As soon the document is finalized it will be sent out to the stakeholders, who will in turn share it with the coaches, clubs and players,” James said.

Chief among the details shared was the continued practice of social distancing. The idea is to host smaller competitions and encourage persons to have their own equipment. 

“Some of the issues were standard and some of the suggestions and protocols were standard protocols where we continue to encourage social distancing. Initially we’re going to start with small side games. We’ll encourage everyone to bring their own equipment, encourage the sanitizing and disinfecting of all areas and equipment.

“I know it’s a new normal but it’s something all of us will have to do to ensure that we stay COVID-19 free.

“The hardest part, as we discussed, will be getting the little kids out and keeping them safe. They’ve been in the house this whole time and they’re excited and will have a ton of energy and want to play. We’re going to have to focus on the little children to emphasize social distancing, sanitizing and not touching their faces,” added James.

James furthered that clubs will also be urged to establish their own safety protocols as far as practices, and training sessions and control the flow of players coming in and out of facilities, are concerned. Clubs must also keep a record of players coming in and out, in the event contact tracing would be needed if a case/s arise. 

“We’re also encouraging the clubs to have their own protocols as far as practices and training sessions. You’ll basically have to control the flow of players coming into the facility, taking names and contact tracing as well, in case there’s an issue, you will know and contact your clubs and coaches immediately,” said James.

As far as national teams competing internationally, she stated the association getting to that point will rely a lot on the various associations and clubs’ compliance with the protocols.

“Also, in the draft document we had a few dates. Wishful hoping, we’ve opened our borders to international travel now. A lot of us getting to phase five where we can compete internationally is going to rely on our compliance, as well as what’s going on in the rest of the world.

“We encourage you to keep your kids and players engaged. A lot of clubs have online training sessions and they encourage the players to record their training and the coaches would give their feedback. 

“This is a partnership and wherever the BFA can assist if as a club you feel as though you don’t want to recreate the wheel, we can assist in establishing your protocols. And this is a floating document, so there would be changes and God forbid if there is an outbreak, we would have to go back to phase one. We’re all looking forward to getting things going and getting the best sport going again,” James concluded

 Edit with ElementorSwitch to draftPreview(opens in a new tab)UpdateAdd titlePermalink:http://sportsinthebahamas.com/blog/2020/07/27/franco-miller-jr-confident-of-florida-gulf-coast-choice/‎(opens in a new tab)Edit

HEADED TO FGC – Grand Bahamian collegiate basketball player Franco Miller Jr. is ready to demonstrate confidence when he suits up for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (FGC) in the fall.Grand Bahamian collegiate basketball player Franco Miller Jr. is ready to demonstrate confidence when he suits up for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (FGC) in the fall.  The former Tabernacle Falcons’ star decided to end his tenure at Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) and enter the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) transfer portal back in…