Arman Newton secured a podium finish on his debut at the Caribbean Junior Golf Championships in Jamaica last week.

The 15-year-old Saltus student finished runner-up on retrogression in the under-15 boys division after carding 11-over 226 at the par-72 Caymanas Golf Club in Kingston.

“It was a really fun tournament played in very hot conditions,” said Newton, who posted the joint-best final round of 75 but ended seven strokes behind the winner in a field of 15.

“I was hoping to break par in round three but left too many one-inch putts out there, which was frustrating.

“Many thanks to Bermuda Golf Association and Darrin Lewis [BGA general secretary] for supporting Sienna [Mosquera] and me in this championship.”

Mosquera, a student at the Mike Bender Golf Academy in Lake Mary, Florida, was fourth out of a field of 11 in the under-18 girls division after carding a 34-over 250.

“It was definitely a learning experience being a part of this tournament and playing under really tough conditions,” she said.

“I feel I played solid and consistent in rounds one and two, and round three I was met with some unique and uncontrollable challenges that created a shift in my focus.

“This is something I will be working on to help better my game for future tournaments, and learning to work through circumstances when they are out of your control.

“Overall, we showed up ready to compete and Arman and I represented Bermuda with excellent sportsmanship and integrity.

“I’m really proud of how Arman placed, and pleased we both finished well individually among the field.”

The 18-year-old arrived on the Caribbean island with momentum having finished runner-up in the girls’ 14-18 division on her debut at the Canada Junior Championships held at Kanawaki Golf Club in Montreal the previous week.

The Caribbean Junior Golf Championships was held from August 7 to 9.

The 54-hole event is primarily a team event featuring teams from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, Barbados and Cayman Islands but because of Bermuda’s associate status in Caricom, the BGA was allowed to send only individual players.

“Hopefully Bermuda can submit a team next year so we can take the team competition as well as individual placing,” Newton said.

Final scores