Cayman Islands’ unprecedented success on the golf course is turning heads around the region.
Justin Hastings followed his victory in the Latin America Amateur Championship with a stellar performance in the Hawaii Open last month. This weekend he is competing in a pro field once again in Puerto Rico before heading to the US Masters – the first of three majors he will contest this year – in April.
Hastings success follows hot on the heels of his national teammate Aaron Jarvis’ victory in the LAAC tournament and run of impressive performances in golf’s majors in 2022.
For a country with just one 18-hole golf course to produce one champion might be luck. To produce two shows that something special is happening in one of the smallest countries in the region, says Mark Lawrie, the R&A director for Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the main organisers of the LAAC tournament.
“You have 27 holes and two players that have qualified for the Masters. That shows what great work has been happening in Cayman. Kids have been given a chance to play from a young age and that is a big positive and an example for the rest of the region.”
The Latin America Amateur Championship, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year and offers a golden ticket for the winner to the three biggest tournaments in golf, has served as a catalyst for the development of the sport in the region.
And champions like Jarvis and Hastings are standard bearers, not just for their country, but for the Caribbean and Latin America in general.
“What we have strived to do is create an opportunity for elite amateurs to show what they can do.”
Lawrie keeps eyes on all the tournament’s former champions and will be watching Hastings, who first competed on that stage as a 14-year-old, progress with keen interest.
While both Jarvis and Hastings have honed their skills and their competitive instincts in the US college system, Lawrie credits their upbringing in Cayman for putting them in the position to succeed.
“To get into the NCCA you have to be very good in the first place. It is not everyone that applies that gets into those schools. A lot of great work has been done in the early years in Cayman to get them to that point.”
Can they make it all the way to the top? He believes so.
“Golf is a very difficult profession. It is so competitive and so hard to succeed. They are both such nice people and we can only be hopeful about their chances. For us it is all about creating opportunities and putting them in position to make their dreams come true.”
Regional academy
The next milestone for the LAAC tournament is the creation of a junior academy, to be hosted in the Dominican Republic. Caymanian youngsters will be among those eligible to apply to take part in the elite training camp.
Young golfers from around the region will be invited to the ‘world class facilities’ at the Casa De Campo course – where Jarvis won the amateur champs in 2022.
“We are very grateful that such a wonderful place as Casa de Campo allows us to establish our first academy for the Latin America Amateur Championship there, and we are truly excited about the future and what this will mean for the championship,” said Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National, during the LAAC press conference.
Jason Kycek, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Casa de Campo Resort & Villas, added: “We are honoured that Casa de Campo has been selected as the inaugural site for the Latin America Amateur Championship Academy. This collaboration reflects our ongoing commitment to the development of golf in the region and our dedication to offering world-class facilities to emerging players in Latin America. We are thrilled to be part of this innovative program that will make a significant difference in the future of golf and to continue our ongoing partnership with the founding partners.”
The LAAC Academy is designed as a week-long training programme where players will receive world-class instruction in key areas of elite competition, such as nutrition, short-game skills, sports psychology, strength and conditioning, swing analysis, and technical swing improvement. The LAAC founding partners cover all expenses to allow a full range of players to participate.
