Tobago to host Trinidad and Tobago Golf Open after 40-year hiatus

FOR the first time in 40 years, the Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association Open tournament will be held in Tobago.

The association said the Plantations Golf Course at the Magdalena Golf and Beach Resort has been undergoing renovations and it is now ready to host a tournament of this stature.

Golfers from around the world will travel to Tobago for the 116th TT Open from March 14-17 with participants from TT, Barbados, Bahamas, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Jamaica, Canada and US expected to be represented at the competition.

On March 5, the golf open was launched at St Andrews Golf and Country Club in Moka, Maraval.

President of the TTGA Wayne Baptiste said, “This is the second time the TT Open is being held in Tobago. The last time was actually 40 years ago sometime in 1983.”

Baptiste thanked all those for the help in staging the open in Tobago.

“This could have only been possible work due to the exceptional work of E-Tech and by extension the Prime Minister and the Governmnet of TT in bringing the golf course up to international standards. We are also extremely thankful to the honorable Minister of Sport (and Community Development) Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis for her immense dedication and partnership in enhancing golf and other sporting disciplines throughout TT.” The organisers also thanked Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon.

Baptiste said the TTGA is trying to make TT more of a preferred choice for golfers around the world.

“The 2024 TT Open represents a milestone in our journey towards establishing TT as a prominent destination for golf enthusiasts world wide. This tournament will not only showcase the exceptional talent in our nation but also attract players and spectators from across the globe, fostering a spirit of competition and camaraderie on our fairways.”

A total of 150 players will play at the tournament across many categories between the age of 16-84. Christopher Richards Jnr, Jerseem Boodram and Ross Ramkissoon are among the TT golfers carded to compete, along with celebrity players like West Indies batting legend Brian Lara and TT football legend Russell Latapy.

The sponsors of the open are Sport Company of TT (SporTT), The Prime Minister Sport and Culture Fund, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, National Lotteries Control Board, Angostura, Kenson Group of Companies, First Citizens, Bmobile, Vemco and Blue Waters.

Robin Lewis, vice-president of the TTGA, spoke about the volume of work done last year at Magdalena which has made it possible to host the open.

He said, “We had done a significant amount of work through E-Tech to get the course up to standard...we refurbished the practice range; the course itself is in excellent condition; the greens have been relaid and work has been done on the greens; the bunkers (have been improved); we brought in 600 tons of sand from Guyana.”

Lewis said a world-class course will benefit the sport tourism push in TT.

Jason Johann Williams, officer sport development at SporTT, said there the organisation will continue supporting local sporting bodies. He said, “Sport Company continues to support the plan of all national governing bodies and to recognise the efforts of the TTGA to plan and deliver tournaments of this nature while creating tangible opportunities to all of its stakeholders.”