Ladies Pro Golf Tourney is Major Boost to Sports Tourism?Golding

Prime Minister Bruce Golding welcomed the return of Ladies Pro Golf Association (LPGA) to Jamaica as a boost to the country’s image as a sports destination.
Mr. Golding was speaking at the Jamaica launch of the LPGA-sanctioned Mojo 6 Raceway Golf tournament on March 14 at the Caymanas Country Clubhouse in St Catherine. Called the “sprint of golf”, the raceway-style tournament with a purse of US$1 million is scheduled for May 1 and 2 at Cinnamon Hill golf course in Rose hall, St James.
“What this tournament is going to do for us is quite significant.the kind of publicity that it is going to give us is far beyond the value of the prizes.the interest it can show of Jamaica as a tourist destination but also as a country that has demonstrated its excellence in sport is invaluable and it is something that we must seek to exploit and maximize the benefits of in every probable way,” Mr Golding said.
The Prime Minister praised the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Olivia “Babsy” Grange, for bringing the LPGA event to Jamaica and said that the achievement was “reflective of the creativity that she brings to the difficult task that she has been given”.
The Prime Minister noted that government’s overarching vision for sports is a strategic one, and that the Trelawny stadium was an integral part of it.
“We have been criticised for not allowing the Trelawny stadium to become a university campus. We have held back on that because the Minister is pursuing a strategic plan to expand tourism to include sports tourism as an important element of that package.It still represents a significant asset that can help us in promoting Jamaica as a premier sporting destination.”
The Cinnamon Hill tournament is highly anticipated by golfing enthusiasts as it will be the first time that the LPGA will participate in Raceway Golf. The LPGA top six golfers are already signed on to attend. The event is expected to be viewed by about 100 million persons on the CBS network in the USA. Jamaican golfer Jody Munn will also attend and at least one teen from the Jamaica Golf Association Junior Golf Programme.
Mr Golding, who noted that golf will be returning to the Olympics in 2016, also said that the tournament would be a good inspiration for local golfers to improve the game at home.
Golf has been played in Jamaica since the Morant Bay Rebellion and the country is said to have the first course outside of Europe. The Mojo 6 tournament is conceived by Mojo Marketing and Media.