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

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

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#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.

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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.