BELMOPAN, Thurs. Dec. 20, 2018– What a year 2018 has been for golf in Belize! In 2018, the Belize Amateur Golf Association (BAGA):
Early adopted the more significant rule changes designed by the international golf regulatory bodies to speed up play;
Elected three new executive committee members, all of which hold doctorate degrees: Dr. Peter Allen – President, Dr. Guillermo “Doc” Rivas – Secretary, and Dr. Margaret Smyth – Handicap Chair;
Held 11 monthly tournaments, the RF&G Open, and endorsed six tournaments;
Experienced another exhilarating victory of the Belize/Americans team over the Rest-of-the-World team; and
Came very close to having the first-ever tie for the annual Net category!
The culmination of 2018 was the awards-giving ceremony in conjunction with the annual Roaring River Golf Course (RRGC) Christmas Classic. The RRGC Christmas Classic was played as a drawn-partner scramble and included a delicious Christmas themed RRGC lunch and a fun-filled drawing for all sorts of prizes.
The results of the Christmas Classic were: 1st – Luckie Nunez & Saul Barerra; 2nd – Robert Nelson & Rodrigo Barerra; Nearest the pin holes 1 & 10 – Robert Nelson; Nearest the pin holes 5 & 14 – Peter Allen; Long Putt – Lorne Solis; Long Drive – Lorne Solis.
Going into the Christmas Classic tournament, two golfers were tied for the 2018 Victor Ludorum, Winner of All award. The Victor Ludorum scoring includes points from the BAGA monthly tournaments and RF&G Open on a net basis along with the other BAGA endorsed tournaments throughout the year. There can only be one winner and, through perseverance (played in every tournament!) while facing a formidable foe, and with a little help from his friend, Korie Williams, Steve Hack prevailed to be forever memorialized for the feat.
The 2018 cumulative winners were: Victor Ludorum – Steve Hack. Gross: 1st – Bill McKenzie – 110; 2nd – Sam Mathias – 104; 3rd – Steve Hack – 102. Net: 1st – Robert Cook – 87; 2nd – Luckie Nunez – 64; 3rd – Boris Vostry – 47. Senior – John Sansone – 36. Most improved – Robert Cook – 9.4 (handicap of 24.2 to 9.4).
The BAGA annually recognizes one of its own through a vote of the members for the Clubman of the Year award named the Karl Ayers Cup in honor of one of the BAGA founders. The criteria used in the voting are: Attendance, Sportsmanship, Donations, and Involvement. The BAGA proudly recognized Julian “Chico” Towers as the recipient of the Karl Ayers Cup for 2018. During the year, Chico stepped up to be the Handicap Chairman, only missed two tournaments, was the highest point scorer for the Rest-of-the-World team, and stepped up to organize and score some tournaments. Chico, well done and thanks for your contributions to the BAGA and golf in Belize!
The next golf tournament is scheduled for January 26, 2019. That tournament will start the 2019 season, and the annual dues of $100 per member will be collected prior to tournament play. The full 2019 calendar is attached.
The full details or the Roaring River Golf Course Christmas Classic, the December monthly, and the 2018 cumulative results are available at: Facebook : Belize Amateur Golf Association