Barbados players Iz Hustler and Xzavier Wiggins copped second and third places among some of the region’s best junior golfers during the recent Caribbean Junior Open in Trinidad.
In the tournament played April 8 to 10 at the St. Andrews Club at Maraval, Hustler finished second to Trinidadian Ryan Peters in the boys’ 14-15 age group, with a gross 234 while the winner shot 228. Third was Johnathan Jean-Noel of Guadeloupe with 240.
Wiggins, playing in the 11-13 division, shot a gross 245 over the three days and was third behind winner Andres Aranguren of Puerto Rico (216) and second-placed Pierre Garcia from Guadeloupe (233).
The Barbados Golf Association sent a four-member team to the tournament chosen from players in the BGA’s junior development programme. The two other Barbados players were Christian Mason and Joshua Jones who finished in mid-table.
Host country Trinidad totally dominated the boys’ 16-17 division as Liam Bryden emerged the top performer after leading by 12 strokes going into the final 18-holes of the 54-hole tournament.
Bryden shot a gross 221, while Sol Joanni of Tobago finished second with a gross 233 and Varun Singh, third with 239.
Among the girls, Trinidadian Ysabelle Lawrence was a runaway winner in the 16-17 age group, as she registered a gross 238, which was 38 strokes better than second placed Sabrina Mitchell (276) and 42 better than third-placed Ana Ferreira (280).
Around 40 Caribbean juniors, from such territories as Puerto Rico, Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Jamaica and St Kitts took part in the tournament which was supported by the Caribbean Golf Association.
