YEJI Lee continued her winning ways in 2022, capturing the first flight category at the St Andrews Golf Club Ladies Amateur Golf Open which concluded in Moka, Maraval, on February 20.

With Sarah Ramphal unable to defend the title she won in 2020 when the tournament was last played, Lee held off two of the now seasoned juniors in Chloe Ajodha and Jada Charles.

With a two-day total of ten over par, Lee was seven strokes clear of Ajodha. In the second-flight, Hillis Richards was the winner by four shots over Jolanda Maltha and in the third-flight - played in the stableford format - Paige Hurd emerged as the winner by just one point over Camille Chatoor.

Among the net winners were Amoy Chang Fong in the first-flight, Elizabeth Lawrence in the second-flight where another up-and-coming junior, Elise LaBorde, announced her intentions by taking second-place net.

At the prize-giving function, the captain of the women's section of the St Andrews Golf Club Elizabeth Lawrence thanked the co-sponsors of the event AIB Insurance Brokers Ltd and Caribbean Bottlers Ltd (through its Monster Energy Drink brand), for their support at this time despite challenges for the business sector.

She also highlighted the introduction of a new category of competition which was played on February 19 with new golfers playing a nine-hole tournament. The initiative, Lawrence said, was part of the effort to attract players into the game as the golf community seeks to increase participation in the sport among women and girls.

She stated that the nine-hole tournament was a small step in this effort by encouraging new golfers into the competitive arena. While the category attracted a small group of seven, the enthusiasm was very encouraging.

The short competition was followed by a chipping and putting clinic conducted by Anthony Gills, the golf professional at St Andrews Golf Club. Lawrence also announced on behalf of the Pointe-a-Pierre Golf Club that it will host a tournament on Tuesday in recognition of International Women's Day.

In his remarks at the prize-giving function, TT Golf Association president Wayne Baptiste disclosed that the local association had signed on to the Women in Golf Charter being promoted by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, which along with the US Golf Association, governs the sport worldwide. The objectives of the charter in broad terms are to promote inclusivity and gender balance at all levels of the sport, including playing, administration, coaching, management and leadership levels. He pledged the TTGA's support for all initiatives to increase the number of women and girls in the sport.