Haye, Roye regain title at Couples Resorts Charity Golf

NATIONAL players Oshane Haye and Zandre Roye, regulars on the winners’ podium at the annual Couples Resorts Ocho Rios Charity Golf Tournament, on Sunday won first-place gross, regaining the title they last won as a pair in the two-ball scramble in 2024.

Last year, Haye had a winning partnership with Carl Brown, grossing 62, in the absence of Roye, who was travelling from Argentina where he had represented Jamaica at the January 16-19 Latin America Amateur Championship.

Zero-handicappers Roye and Haye finished on 61 with Derrick Dalrymple and Warren Gordon (seven handicappers), who won first-place net, on a better back nine, ahead of last year’s runners-up, Mark Newnham and Jodi Munn, playing on a handicap of one stroke.

Roye and Haye each won stays at Couples Tower Isle or San Souci for topping the 18-hole tournament held annually at the Sandals Golf and Country Club in Upton, St Mary, this year’s main beneficiary being Mary Issa Paediatric and Adolescent Health Centre in Richmond, St Ann.

Alexandra Thomson-Ghisays, group public reactions director and board member, Issa Trust Foundation, said $2.8m was raised at the tournament which hosted 70 golfers, who turned out to support the foundation’s paediatric healthcare initiatives.

“For the past 20 years, the Issa Trust Foundation, of which I am proud to have been a board member since inception, has been committed to improving the health and well-being of children in Jamaica,” Thomson-Ghisays pointed out.

“Building on this legacy, the foundation is working to bring the Mary Issa Paediatric and Adolescent Health Centre, a 9000 square-foot facility in Richmond, St Ann, to life, expanding access to paediatric, adolescent, mental health, vision and specialty care, including cardiology, nephrology and other critical services, for children and families from across Jamaica,” she added.

Among the players were William Mahfood and PJ Asher, who praised the Upton course for being kept in excellent condition throughout the dry spell being experienced islandwide.

“We might not have played well but it was a great event on an excellent course,” said Mahfood, chairman, Wisynco Group, whose brands, Legend and Wata, were among the tournament’s sponsors.

“It was really nice to see the turnout,” Mahfood added, “ a sentiment echoed by Asher, who also had high marks for the course.

Khorie Ann Beckford, marketing and communications specialist, Nation’s Choice, a returning sponsor, said the meats, seafood and vegetable-distributing company has been partnering Couples Resorts charity initiatives, which all redound to the benefit of the environment and children, joining other sponsors such as Fit Bodies, Rainforest, Liberty Business, CPJ, Guardian Group, Select Brands, IronRock Insurance, Fraser, Fontaine and Kong, ICWI and VIP Attractions.

“The needs are always greater than the resources,” Beckford noted, adding, “We have been taking the opportunities to partner with Couples on these fund-raising initiatives as a trusted name in the hospitality industry.”