Cayman golfer Justin Hastings narrowly missed a bronze medal at the Latin American Amateur Championship, held at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama City, Panama.
The tournament, held 18-21 Jan., featured more than 100 golfers, with Hastings placing fourth, shooting rounds of 72, 71, 68 and 67 to finish at two under par, eight shots behind the winner, Santiago De la Fuente of Mexico, and one shot shy of a bronze.
Hastings’ performance came on the back of a successful 2023 season, where he won multiple domestic and collegiate tournaments for his school, San Diego State University, and placed 96th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking
“The quality of these performances relative to the population in the Cayman Islands is truly exceptional,” Cayman Islands Golf Association told the Compass in a statement.
Hastings was no doubt the standout golfer for Cayman in Panama but he wasn’t the only Caymanian to finish in the top five for the tournament.
Andrew Jarvis was five shots behind his teammate after rounds of 72, 72, 72 and 67 for a three-over-par total, good enough for a tie for fifth place.
Andrew’s younger brother Aaron Jarvis – the winner of the 2022 LAAC – finishing 16-over par, and tied for 41st, after rounds of 79, 75, 70 and 72.
Cayman, which has only one 18-hole golf course and a population of about 83,000, had three players finish in the top 50 at the event which represents a region with a population of more than 650 million, the statement noted.
Daniel Fortune, president of the CIGA, emphasised that tiny Cayman can hang with the best – proven by the performance of the three 345 golfers.
“We are extremely proud of all 3 of our Cayman players who participated and excelled in this year’s LAAC,” Fortune said in the statement. “What LAAC has brought to the region is unparalleled and the performances we are seeing from our local players are truly inspirational for all of us, especially our junior players. We will continue to work to develop the game here in Cayman at all levels.”
According to CIGA, Hastings and both Jarvis brothers are poised to make another run at next year’s LAAC championship, which will be held at Pilar Golf Club in Argentina.
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