By BRENT STUBBS
Chief Sports Editor
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas Golf Federation's 14-member team finally snapped Jamaica's stranglehold of the Caribbean Golf Association's Four Ball Championship by turning in a dominating performance to win this year's title over the weekend.
The Bahamas accumulated a total score of 88 to secure their first team victory as they added the coveted Ambrose Gouthro Cup to their collection in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Jamaica had to settle for runners-up with 71 (-17) followed by Trinidad & Tobago in third with 65 (-23), host Turks & Caicos fourth with 49 (-39), the Cayman Islands fifth with 42 (-46), Puerto Rico 23 sixth with 23 (-65); Barbados seventh with 18 (-70) and St Lucia ninth with 4 (-84).
"I knew going into this championship event that Team Bahamas stood its best chance ever to win it all," said team manager Anthony Hinsey, who also serves as the vice president of the BGF.
"This year was the first time the Bahamas Golf Federation held a qualifier tournament, which was a two-day event and the winners in four of the five divisions scored under par."
Hinsey noted that the team's six weeks of preparation were intense and there was a sense of focus and determination.
"We had a national golf team not willing to settle for runner up or a second place finish," he stressed. "The team arrived in Turks and Caicos on Tuesday and it was all business.
"Our first two days were spent at the golf course in full practice and by late evening on Wednesday the Royal Turks and Caicos Golf Course felt like familiar territory."
Hinsey noted that Thursday was the official start of the championship and, at the end of round one, Team Bahamas was in first place and that lead was not relinquished.
Richard Gibson and Nolan Johnson combined to win the Mid Amateur male division 35+ and they were joined by Raymond Gibson and James Wallace, who captured the legends male division 70+.
Horace Miller and Leroy Williamson came second in the super senior male division 60+ and Kelsey Rolle and Michael McAleer were fourth in the Senior male division 50+ (4th place finish)
On the ladies' side, the duo of Inecia Rolle and Taneka Sandiford, competing in the 25+ female division, was second overall and Kyshna Radnetter and Giselle Pyfrom, competing in the 45+ ladies division, was fourth.
According to Johnson, winning this year's title was extra special because they knew they had the potential to dethrone archrivals Jamaica who have completely dominated the event since the tournament's inception.
"The Bahamas came incredibly close to winning it previously, including a second-place finish when they hosted the event at Baha Mar, but the 2026 win officially broke Jamaica’s six-year championship streak," Johnson said.
"While this was the first time the country won the overall team title, Bahamian duos have won individual age group divisions at past tournaments, such as winning the Ramon Baez Romano Trophy (Mid Amateur division) Higgs & Higgs Trophy (Super Seniors division)."
Johnson called it an "historic feat" with a "masterpiece" completely "redefining" The Bahamas' standing in regional golf. He added that it was without a doubt, the "greatest collective team achievement" for Bahamian golf on the Caribbean stage.
He attributed the team's performance to the following:
• Depth chart:
"The Bahamas assembled a team of players with years of tournament experience, from the younger Mid-Am players to the seasoned legends," he said.
"This group included former male and female college golfers, current regional and international golfers and those whose names are still talked about throughout the region."
• Consistency Across Divisions:
"To win the overall cup, a country needs strong performances across multiple age categories," he said. "The Bahamas dominated by winning two major divisions (Mid-Amateurs and Legends) and securing runner-up spots in two others (Super-Seniors and Ladies 25+)."
The tournament wrapped up on Saturday with Team Bahamas coming out on top of the standings each day to stamp their approval on the team title.
Lynford Miller, president of the BGF, said before the team left, the golfers made the commitment that they were going to win it and they did.
"Some teams believed that they didn’t participate their best this time but it was good enough to capture the overall win," Miller said. "The Mid Amateur male division, Senior, Super Senior and Legends are very competitive divisions and the players played well."
As the team manager, Hinsey said he felt honoured in saying "congratulations" to the young and not so young members of the 2026 Caribbean Four Ball Golf Championship winners from Team Bahamas.