Sporting icons Lara, Yorke in Beacon golf
Sporting icons Brian Lara and Dwight Yorke will be aiming to make an impact on the 26th Beacon Insurance Barbados Open which will see one of the largest Trinidadian contingents ever taking on the Royal Westmoreland challenge this weekend
Omari James, winner of the 2009 Antigua Open last week, who is regarded as one of the best players just out of the Caribbean junior ranks, and defending women’s champion Kimesha Anthony will be flying the Antigua and Barbuda flag.
A lot of attention over the three days will however be on the likely members of the Barbados Hoerman Cup team with defending champion James Johnson the player to beat.
Johnson said Barbados is building a team to retain the Hoerman Cup, the Caribbean’s leading amateur event, and he is hoping that players such as Sean Edey, Marcus Clarke and Simon Proverbs will improve on some excellent scores in the trials.
On a personal note Johnson said he has been playing more often since winning the Sir Garry tournament earlier this year. He has shot two scores under par in the trials and said his aim this weekend is to shoot under par.
Johnson has already won seven Open titles and will be going after his fourth in a row Friday.
Trinidadian Deryck Gonsalves, a former Hoerman Cup player, Barbadian Nick Voss, who was in contention last year and American Andrew Marler bring additional quality to the men’s championship flight.
While the men’s championship flight will absorb a lot of attention the other flights, the men’s first flight, the Seniors where Ricky Skeete and Robert Piggott are competing and the Super Seniors should also be very competitive.
Barbados’ new Caribbean mid-amateur team of Judd Cozier and Thomas Harris will also want to use this tournament as preparation for the defence of the title which Charles Edey and Billy Tempro won last year.
While the first tee time is set for 7 a.m the public will want to converge Friday at 11.10 a.m to witness the top men’s players, who include Chris Henriques of Beacon Insurance, tee off. |
