Roye and Issa retain JGA National Senior Golf Trials titles at Half Moon

Zandre Roye and Mattea Issa both held on to their titles at this year’s Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) National Senior Golf Trials, a three-day event that wrapped up on Sunday at the Half Moon Golf Course in Montego Bay.

Competitors faced punishing heat and gusty winds throughout the tournament, with conditions proving especially tough on the second day.

Roye’s path to victory swung sharply from round to round before he finally claimed top spot. He opened with a four-over-par 76, good enough for second place after the first round, then slipped to sixth following a nine-over-par 81 at the end of round two. A one-over-par 73 in the final round — the lowest score of the day — pulled him back to the front, and he won by a single stroke with a 14-over-par total of 230.

Speaking after his win, Roye said the week had been demanding but he was satisfied with how things turned out. “It’s not an easy golf course. It’s one of the hardest golf courses on the island. I knew that if I just go out there, stay patient and shoot a good score, I will be all right at the end of the day. I went out, two over par on the front nine. Wasn’t really happy with that, but I knew I had some gettable holes coming up. “Got it to one under par on the back nine through 14, so one over par for the day and then the real golf starts on the last four finishing holes, which are probably the four hardest finishing holes on the island. I managed to play those holes even par coming in and secure the victory two years straight. So back to back, that’s a pretty good feeling to say I have won back to back national trials, and I won the national amateur championship just two weeks ago, I think two, three weeks ago, and to back it now with the national trials, it’s a pretty good feeling, and I am happy with the result,” Roye said.

Trey Williams and Owen Samuda shared second place after each carding a 76 in the final round for a combined 15-over-par 231 — one stroke behind Roye. Both had sat in joint fourth after round two.

Dr Mark Newnham finished fourth on 16-over-par 232, having shared the lead at the end of the second round alongside two other players. Fellow joint leader Oshae Haye posted a 79 on the last day to settle in fifth on 233.

Sean Morris, who led after day one, took sixth with a closing 78 for a 235 total.

Issa, a former national women’s champion and long-serving representative for Jamaica, turned in steady five-over-par 77s in the first two rounds before a difficult 10-over-par 82 on the final day left her on 20-over-par 236. Despite the closing round, she was glad to come through as repeat women’s champion in the demanding conditions.

Attention now turns to the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship in the Bahamas, set for August 2 to 7.