By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ON his return to The Bahamas, Mark Lawrie revealed that the R&A Latin America and Caribbean will be looking at hosting a major amateur golf tournament here very soon.

Lawrie, the first regional managing director of the R&A’s Latin America and the Caribbean based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, made the hint during a press conference yesterday at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

Present were Minister  of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, Acting Director of Sports, Kelsie Johnson-Sills; BGF first vice president Anthony Hinsey; former president Craig Flowers; Flamingos Golf Club 242 founder Agatha Delancy; Nathaniel McKinney of the Ministry of Tourism and Clara Storr and Floyd Armbrister of the Ministry of Education. 

Lawrie said R&A, the governing body for golf in the world, has always had a long standing relationship with the BGF and they hope to intensify that in the future.

“We always believe in the enormous talent of people in this country, not just in golf, but in many other sports, so we know that the talent is here,” he said. :”It’s just a matter of tapping into it and bringing it to the forefront.”

Lawrie, however, indicated that R&A is responsible for hosting a number of international competitions and while they are always searching for good destinations, the Bahamas is one of them,

“Over the past few years, we’ve been looking at different courses  You’ve been fortunate enough or blessed enough to have a series of new courses incorporated courses on this island, so The Bahamas obviously has become a great golf destination.”

With the Latin American Amateur Championships and the Women’s Amateur Latin American Championships as the R&A signature events, Lawrie said the Bahamas could be a potential site to host one or both events in the short term.

“So it’s a bit of a scotunig visit because bringing a big championship requires a large footprint with it and hopefully The Bahamas can accommodate that.”

No specific time frame has been announced, but Lawrie said it;s anticipated that there will be about 100 golfers participating and over 250 persons who will be working with the organizing, promotion and live television of the event. 

Already dubbed “Sports in Paradise,” Bowleg said they welcome R&A in producing another major sporting event to the sunny shores of the Bahamas.

“I’m sure that if the golf courses we have here are not up to par, the government will do all in its power to bring it up to par,” Bowleg said. “We want the world to know that no matter what sport it is, the Bahamas is the place to be.”

Bowleg said his only wish is that Lawrie, with the assistance of the BFG, will find that “diamond in the rough” and will locate a venue to host the international tournament(s) here. 

Also while he’s here during his week-long visit, Lawrie said he will be looking at ways to help with the growth and development of the sport, including the availability of Bahamians to participate on the various golf courses. 

“I always use the Bahamas as an example of having a lot of good golf courses, but being a little worried about the local Bahamians having access to these golf courses,” he said.

“This is something that probably runs throughout the region, but particularly in the Caribbean and particularly in the Bahamas. I’m a little more concerned about how easy it is for a young Bahamian to access these golf courses.”

He said R&A will be working with the federation and the local golf courses to ensure that facilities outside of the BGF’s Driving Range are available for Bahamians to participate on.

“We still have a long road ahead, but hopefully we can capitalize on bringing a big championship to the Bahamas, finding more ways to get the Bahamian youth onto Bahamian golf courses,” he said.

He said the R&A will be working with all insundry to make it happen for golf in the Bahamas.

Bowleg, on the other hand, commended Craig Flowers for the creation of the nine-hole golf course and driving range at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex where hundreds of players from the public and private schools have been able to learn the game of golf.

As a result, he noted that there are now many certified instructors in the school system and has contributed well to the increased growth of the sport over the past four years.

To a question posed by Flowers, Lawrie said the R&A, although committed to assisting more than 100 affiliated member countries, will do its part to help by providing some funding and resources to assist in the improvement of the BGF’s driving range in short order.

No figure was released, but Lawrie assured Flowers that something will be done because he’s pleased to have a person like Flowers who is making sure that the sport continues to grow.

“To multiply the efforts of Craig and his great job with the public facility opened up to Bahamian golfers, we need to do more,” Lawrei said. “We need to get more people involved and to give the Bahamian people more opportunities to integrate into the international community.”

The only way one can do that is by comp[eting at a higher level, according to Lawrie, so that they can achieve improvement in the sport.

“You progress by playing against people who play better, you progress by experiencing international travel, playing different golf courses and obviously that experience will put you in a different sphere,” he summed up.