Richards Jnr, Emamaalie win Republic's junior golf titles

CHRISTOPHER Richards Jnr and Faatimah Emamaalie were among the winners when the three-day Republic Bank Junior Golf tournament concluded at the Millennium Lakes Golf and Country Club in Trincity, on Thursday.

Richards Jnr comfortably won the boys 16 to 18 category with a score of 219. He finished ahead of Jean Marc Chevrotiere who had to settle for second with 228.

Emamaalie copped the girls 11 to 13 category as she ended with a score of 285. Elise La Borde was a distant second with a score of 317.

In the boys 14 to 15 category, Ethan Hill emerged as the champion with 230, followed by Aiden Ali who ended with 241.

Isaiah Rowley, the lone entrant in the boys 11 to 13 category, finished with 277.

Yusif Mohammed was the champion in the three-hole competition and Varin Singh claimed the six-hole competition.

Emily Wyatt earned first place overall in the nine-hole tournament and Felipe Roopchand-Santiago was the top golfer among the boys.

Atha Rampersad won prizes for being the best chipper, Aiden Ali was awarded for his strong putting skills and Jquan Warner won prizes for his driving.

A prize giving ceremony followed Thursday’s final day of play. Among those who attended were representatives of sponsor Republic Bank, tournament organizer and vice-president of the TT Golf Association (TTGA) Wayne Baptiste, public relations officer at the TTGA Gerard Darlington and president of the TTGA Douglas Ammon.

Speaking to Newsday following the ceremony, Richards Jnr said, “Excited about the performance over the last few days. It was not the scores I expected, but I enjoyed it still and I kept my composure and tried to play as well as I could throughout the week.”

It has been a busy period for local golfers in 2021 as many tournaments have been held.

Richards Jnr is elated to be back on the course. “Being back out is just great, it feels amazing. Being able to come out and play almost every day despite school and covid it is just a great feeling.”

Emamaalie said, “I think my performance was really good considering that I took a year off. I think my long game and my short game for the few days were really good.”

Emamaalie is eager to compete in the upcoming tournaments.

The boys 11-13 champ Rowley said, “It was good. It could have been a lot better, but I am happy with the result.”