St. Kitts (Aug. 11, 2012) – The Dominican Republic led from the very first day until the final holes when it suffered a stunning collapse, and the OECS team remained steady down the stretch to pull off the upset and win the Hoerman Cup for the first time at the RBC 56th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships.
A windy, high-scoring day made for some dramatic finishes at Royal St. Kitts, none more extraordinary than that Hoerman Cup battle. Leading by seven after 54 holes, the Dominicans had three players shoot +12 or worse in the final round, while OECS' Paul Michael, the event's individual scoring leader, led his squad on a mighty comeback in the back nine to take the Championships' top prize. Everyone in attendance seemed to delight on the host team's success, and OECS players celebrated in style, with chanting and champagne, as night fell on St. Kitts.
The Hoerman Cup competition was the only one in which the lead changed hands on championship Saturday. Led by Monifa Sealy and Kelsey Lou Hing, Trinidad & Tobago shot a final-round +12 to finish seven strokes ahead of Puerto Rico and defend its crown in the Ladies' division. The Trinidadians also took home the Higgs & Higgs Trophy for Super Seniors, as a fourth-round +2 was good enough to hold off the veteran Puerto Rican duo.
As for the Seniors, the most highly-contested division of the Championships remained so until the final day. Bahamas stumbled with a +7 but that was just good enough to stave off some heavy competition: Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Barbados finished tied for second, two strokes behind.
In the Mid-Amateurs category, the dominant Dominican tandem of Juan Campusano and Hiram Silfa shot its fourth-straight round under par to finish -12 and wrap up the Ramón Báez Trophy.
Lastly, with four second-place and one third-place finish, Puerto Rico won the Arthur Ziadie Trophy for best overall country.
