Barbados Today

Barbados player Carlsen Leacock and teenager Mavi Vergos emerged champions in the two-day Digicel/Virgin Atlantic Open Golf Tournament which concluded at the Barbados Golf Club yesterday.

Leacock, a veteran west-coast player, produced a consistent game over 36 holes to lift the title with a gross 146.
Thirteen year-old Vergos upstaged more senior rivals as she won the women’s championship with a gross 164.

Leacock shot a one-over-par 73, on both Saturday and Sunday, to defy a challenge from second-placed Mark Blakeley, who led the race for the title over the first nine holes on Sunday.
Blakeley, a former Jamaica scratch golfer and a vice-president with Sagicor General Insurance, shot 78 after holding a two-stroke lead over the field and ended with a gross 156.
Igna Smart won the men’s first flight (11 to 19 handicap) with scores of 83 and 76, for a gross 159, while veteran Barbados player Ricky Skeete won the men’s senior division with a two-day gross of 151.
Among the women, Vergos, after posting 87 over the first 18 holes, bounced back with a five-over par 77 on the final day to win the title with six strokes ahead of second placed Helen Foster who shot 164.
Harriett Linton won the women’s first flight, among the higher handicap female players, with 73 points. Second was Brenda Phillips, who shot 62 to edge Diane Cozier on the count-back system.
Former West Indies cricket captain Sir Richie Richardson, who was among 80 players teeing off on the first day, was unable to complete the final 18 holes.
Attractive prizes, such as trips to London and smart phones, were among the awards presented to top finishers in the Open tournament during a ceremony at the BGC clubhouse on Sunday night. (BB)