The 24th edition of the Republic Bank Junior Golf Open Championship will be held from 14 to 16 April at St Andrew’s Golf Course in Moka, Maraval. The annual tournament, which is expected to attract approximately 100 golfers from Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean, continues Republic Bank’s two-decade-long commitment to nurturing youth through the Power to Make a Difference initiative. The three-day event features competitions across three age groups and several skill levels. Boys and girls are set to compete in U-13, U-15, and U-18 age groups in a 54-hole stroke-play tournament. For younger golfers, there are three-hole, six-hole, and nine-hole short-course tournaments and a Drive, Chip, and Putt competition for budding golfers. As an added incentive, scores achieved in the RBL Open Golf Championship also count towards national selection, as well as World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points. “The tournament represents more than just competition. It represents opportunity, growth, and the future of golf in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association head Wayne Baptiste, at the tournament launch on Tuesday in Port-of-Spain. Fidela Haynes, the RBL group chief compliance officer, said young golfers receive more than just valuable coaching and mentorship by participating in the tournament. “This instills in them a stronger drive and a deep desire for self-improvement, which will inspire them to advance and excel in every aspect of life,” she said. The Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association (TTGA) revealed that 85 golfers have already registered for the tournament, and the number is expected to rise to over 100 by the time the event tees off on 14 April. The Open has attracted golfers from across the Caribbean in the past, and a competitive foreign contingent will again descend on the Moka course. St Andrew’s Golf Course, the traditional home of the tournament, will host the event for the first time in six years after staging the Championship every year since its inception. The tournament was staged at the Pointe-a-Pierre Golf Course in 2024, with Chaguaramas Golf Club (2022) and Brechin Castle Golf Course (2023) as previous hosts. TTGA head Baptiste said this revolving venue policy was intended to teach the children to compete successfully in different playing conditions. “When we develop [the] junior golf [program], we developed it so that kids would be able to play at different golf courses to and enhance their ability,” said Baptiste. “And as such every year, we move the Republic Bank [tournament] to different golf courses. I think next year, we want to take it to Tobago.” A new champion will be crowned in the Boy’s U-18 Division with 2024 winner Jerseem Boodram, and runner-up Ayden Ali now aged out of contention. All the rest of last year’s champions are scheduled to compete. In 2024, Elise La Borde won the Girls’ U-18, while Enzo Jean-Noel and Madison Davis took the honors in the Boys’ and Girls’ U15 respectively. Ethan Collier and Alexandra Hill copped the U-13 crowns last year. Also returning from the USA to compete is national youth player Isaiah Rowley, who represented T&T at the 2022 Junior Open Championship in Angus, Scotland. Boodram and former winner Chris Richards Jr emphasized that one of the great draws of the RBL Junior Open is that it allows young golfers to earn valuable world-ranking points. “This tournament is the only World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) ranked junior in the country. So, all the juniors will have that extra incentive to give it their all and grab some world ranking points,” said Boodram. “Honestly, to me, it played a big part in my life because it also gave me World Amateur Golf Rankings points at the age of 14. There is no other junior tournament [at home] that does that,” said Richards. The son of former Caribbean amateur golf champion, Chris Richards Snr, Richards won the first of his four titles at 14—the youngest golfer to win the overall title. Both former champions and 2023 Brechin Castle Open winner, Ayden Ali, said the tournament opened their eyes to what they could achieve in the sport. “It provides an opportunity for juniors to get noticed by coaches, scouts, or sponsors, especially for those aiming to play at US collegiate level,” said Boodram. “The overall tournament itself opened my eyes to show me that I could be one of Trinidad and Tobago’s best golfers just through the tournament growing up as a kid,” Richards said. “It means a lot. The kids out there are improving and when you see yourself improving, you want to push yourself and perform out there,” Ali added. The RBL National Junior Open has also foreshadowed the emergence of national youth players, with category winners almost a shoo-in for a place in the national team. “Every three months we would host an event whereby all the kids would participate and after the year, including the Republic Bank [Juniors],” said Baptiste. “We would have identified the kids that would have performed the best and automatically selected on the national team by using a breakdown of scores.” The TTGA President said this reflects their new selection policy and as a result, the traditional National Junior Golf Trials were scrapped this year. The national junior team will compete in the Caribbean Amateur Junior Championships (CAJC) in Puerto Rico from 29 August to 4 August. A feature of the 2024 tournament was a lower number of girls competing, a trend the TTGA says will not be repeated this year. Baptiste attributes the shortfall to the tough terrain of the Pointe-a-Pierre golf course, which has several steeply elevated greens, including the notorious first hole, dubbed “The Widowmaker”. However, the TTGA President, himself a national senior player, backs female participation to rebound at Moka. “You are fully aware that the Pointe-a-Pierre Golf Course is a very hard golf course to walk and some of the parents may not have wanted their kids to be able to walk that golf course at that age,” he said. “You will see a difference at St Andrew’s where you will see more junior ladies participating.” The TTGA has also produced a women’s program in the past year, which Baptiste said has some 150 ladies participating. Beyond producing the next generation of Trinidad and Tobago’s golfers, the TTGA and Republic Bank stress the importance of creating the next generation of national leaders. “[RBL’s] commitment to invest in young talent is helping us expand our reach, improve our programs, and give junior golfers the tools they need to chase their dreams,” said Baptiste. “Because of their support, we are not just growing the sport, we are shaping future leaders, athletes, and ambassadors of Trinidad and Tobago.” “We are confident that these young athletes will not only evolve into the next generation of professional golfers but also compassionate leaders who will inspire our communities, leaving a lasting impact both on and off the golf course,” said Haynes. Further ahead, the TTGA may in the future have a category for differently-abled children at the RBL Junior Golf Open Championships. Baptiste said money raised during the 2025 T&T Open Golf Championship has been used to fund a golf training program for kids with disabilities. He said the program is set to begin on 1 June throughout Trinidad and Tobago. “The TTGA and the Special Olympics Association have teamed up to train differently-abled kids. They hope to have some representation at the Special Olympics 2027,” said Kalam Sookoor, TTGA junior coordinator. Chris Richards Jr, who started the defence of his Ste Madeleine Open Championship title on Friday, is the most successful golfer in the history of the RBL Junior Golf Tournament with titles won in every age category. Richards, who also triumphed at the T&T Open Championship title on 23 March, summed up the impact of the RBL Junior Open tournament on golf in Trinidad and Tobago. “A lot of junior golfers got where they are through the Republic Bank program, not only in Moka but throughout the country,” he said. “It has had a big impact on junior golf in the country.” RBL Junior Open 2024 – Results Males 16-17 Jerseem Boodram – 217 Ayden Ali – 232 Alex Kangoo – 233 Females 16-17 Elise La Borde – 261 Enzo Jean-Noel -252 Aaian Labru Dragin – 261 Zachery Sahandeo – 263 Girls 14-15 Madison Davis – 268 Dayna Cooper – 281 Ethan Collier – 258 Ben Laughlin – 259 Varin Singh – 265 Girls 11-13 Alexandra Hill – 285 Kahlan Francis – 290 Zoe Haustant – 295