Victoria Seenath and Tori De Freitas-Baptiste repeated as the Ladies 25 plus champions at this year's Caribbean Golf Association (CGA) 4 Ball Golf Championships at the Cinammon Hill Golf Course, Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica, last weekend.
The duo finished with a score of 225, five ahead of the 2023 winners and last year's runners-up Jodi Munn-Barrow and Lisa Gardner of the host team, Jamaica.
Seenath, T&T's top female golfer, says the victory was wonderful as they got the better of their Jamaican rivals on their home turf.
She said, "It is an incredible feeling to retain the title, and doing it here in Jamaica makes it even more special. The Jamaican team is strong, especially on their home course where they’re very comfortable."
The San Fernando resident added that the opponents brought out the best in them.
"It is a huge accomplishment for Tori and I. We have a lot of respect for the way they play, and to successfully defend the title in these conditions really validates the work Tori and I have been putting in," said Seenath, who told Guardian Media Sport that remaining focus was key to the victory.
"Each day presented a new challenge, especially with the weather — the heat and humidity definitely tested us. The course demanded precision and patience; it wasn’t forgiving if you lost focus. We had to stay mentally sharp, stick to our game plan, and make smart adjustments where needed."
Ryan Gomez and Gabriel Vanososte also copped the Men's Mid-Amateur Over-35 title while Tori's father Wayne Baptiste and Richard Camacho topped the Men's Super Seniors(Over 60 Division).
Gomez and Vanososte hit 207 (67, 69, 71) to prevail with the Ramon Baez Ramona Trophy. Jamaica A (218) and Cayman Islands A 219) were next.
Vanososte said their performance on the first days of play helped them to take the crown.
"'I left like yesterday (October 22) afternoon after a big lead, a ten-shot lead, kind of sealed (it). We just had to go out there and shoot a score and do the job."
Gomez was elated with the win, saying, "I am very happy. We played really well, especially the first two days. Today (the final day on Sunday), we struggled a little on the front nine but we held it together on the back nine to finish strong. We wish we could have done a little more today to help the team overall to get the victory over Jamaica."
Meanwhile, team manager Kennedy Fleming praised the players for the second-place finish.
"I am extremely happy with the overall performance of the team. It is a little heartbreaking that we were not able to capture the overall team title; moreover, losing by one point. Hats off to Jamaica. The players did themselves proud."
