January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Copa event shows BDA's potential
The tournament is principally for those countries within North and South America, including Canada, and has been contested for the past few years.
Bermuda was extended an invitation, along with Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago, and the BGA saw it as an opportunity to expose four of its golfers to a higher level of competition.
The event is a two-person team event, with a Men's division and a Ladies' division, with both scores to count in each division. Our women were represented by Laura Robinson and Ebonie Burgess, and our men by Jarryd Dillas and Nick Jones.
Our women finished 11th out of 12 teams and our men 12th out of 15, which is pretty much in line with prior results in team competitions of this strength.
Despite finishing towards the bottom of the table, there were some encouraging results achieved by our representatives.
Ebonie Burgess had a very fine 77 in round three and Laura Robinson returned a very impressive 72-75 in rounds three and four.
These scores show the potential of Laura and Ebonie and it is these scores that should be focused on when reviewing the results.
Simply put, if they can do it some of the time, then they can do it all of the time.
Star of the event for the Bermuda contingent was Jarryd Dillas, who finished a very creditable T14 out of 30 players.
This may not seem so great at first blush but what must be considered is the strength of the field. The players in this event will all have been strong players, so for Jarryd to finish in the upper half is really a very strong performance.
Jarryd returned scores of 76-73-72-74 for a total of 295, played over two courses that will have been tough tracks. Jarryd's performance is to be commended.
Jarryd's team mate in the event, Nick Jones, returned scores of 81-77-78-77 for a total of 313, which left him in 27th place out of 30.
Frankly, in a Bermuda context, Nick's scores are not that bad, however, it once again shows that our star players must learn to dance to a faster drummer if they wish to attend the party.
The BGA is working hard to find ways for Bermuda's best golfers to gain international experience and the invitation to the Copa was a timely opportunity.
Opportunities to send players abroad provide the BGA with two avenues to promote competition. Each time such an opportunity presents itself, the BGA intends to hold a qualifier to select the players to send abroad.
For those players with any competitive juices in their veins, this should be met with increased enthusiasm to improve their skills and to find ways to perform better.
Eric 'Hav' Trott is the secretary for the Bermuda Golf Association.[[In-content Ad]]
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