By BRENT STUBBS

Senior sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas’ 14-member team returned home from the 35th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships (CAJGC) in the Cayman Islands with a fifth place, but it was an experience that manager Gina Gonzalez-Rolle feels they will never forget.

The team, coached by Frederick Taylor, watched as Puerto Rico carted off the Hank James trophy for the overall title. The Dominican Republic came in second and Jamaica was third.

Kerrington Rolle and Haley Hall earned third place finishes individually for the Bahamas in the boys 15-and-under and girls 11-13 divisions respectively.

“We were really pleased with the team. It’s a new team we’re working with and we came back with two third place and a fifth place overall,” Gonzalez-Rolle said.

“We know that next year and the year after, we will be aiming to come back with first place.”

In the girls’ 11-13 division, Team Bahamas emerged as the victors as Haley Hall was 43-over-par and Madisson Carroll-Carlos ended up 44 over-par for third and fourth respectively in the individual standings.

The 11-13 boys finished fifth in their division with a final score of 30 over-par 243 with Patrick Mactaggart shooting a 30 over-par 243 to take a top spot as well, while Denahj Mortimer was 15th with a 72 over-par 285.

The 15-and-under girls were sixth with Seannae Norvile-Smith coming in ninth with 67-over-par 280 and Taylor Sands was 10th with a 99-over-par 312.

The boys 15-and-under team had a better showing, coming in third with a 37 over-par. Kerrington Rolle was third with a 14-over-par 227; Camdyn Forbes was 11th with 31 over-par 244 and and Jackson Mactaggart was 42 over-par 255.

“My experience was good. I met a lot of people. I played exceptionally well under the conditions,” said Rolle, a 14-year-old heading into grade ten at Windsor High School. “As a team, I felt there was room for improvement, but we did good.”

In the 18-and-under girls division, Team Bahamas was seventh with a 73-over-par. Miljojka Gojkovic finished 12th with a score of 74-over-par 287 and Tynisha Tynes was 13th with a 76-over-par 289.

And in the 18-and-under boys division, the Bahamas was also seventh with a 71 over-par. Dupuch was 11th with a 22 over-par 235; Zion Taylor was 20th with a 49 over-par 262 and Christopher Callender was 21th with a 71 over-par 284.

“We had a lot of younger kids on the team and although we have never been to Puerto Rico before, we enjoyed the experience,” said Dupuch, who served as the co-captain with Zion Taylor.

“I placed 11th overall, so I was quite pleased with my performance. A lot of our players are new and so we didn’t expect that much from them, but they all went out there and performed as best as they could.”

The Bahamas Junior Golf Development Programme, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Bahamas Golf Federation, will now prepare for next year