GREG OWEN WINS BARBADOS LEGENDS TOUR

Englishman Greg Owen played a superb bogey –free final round 64 to secure a two-shot victory to win the third edition of the Stay Sure Barbados Legends Tour at the prestigous Apes Hill Golf Course, St James on Sunday.  

Defending champion Scott Hend, who carded a closing 69 placed second on _14 after leading at the end of round two. Welshman Jamie Donaldson who played in the 2014 Ryder Cup placed third; and his Ryder Cup teammate Stephen Gallacher, and Sweden’s Johan Edfors shared fourth  

 Owen and Hend were locked together for most of the day; they went head –to-head through the front nine with little separating them; but a three –birdie burst on back nine proved the difference as Owen edged clear.  

“I just tried to stay calm: I knew we were all there or thereabouts, but I was not exactly sure of the scores. I just thought keep up with him and start making some putts. I rolled one in- then 13 is always a tricky hole; it’s like the bogey hole on this golf course- and I holed a lovely putt there. Scott missed his, and then again on 14 we both hit decent shots, but I was the one who made the putt. Three in a row just give me that little bit of a gap”, Owen said after winning the title. 

The victory continues an excellent run of form for the 54-year-old Owen, who arrive in Barbados fresh from a top 10 finish at the senior Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Championships at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.  

 Sixty golfers took part in the tournament, which started on Friday; they competed for a portion of the $1.2 million prize money. According to Kamal Springer, the sports manager of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) Barbados wants to host elite events and attract visitors that would want to come to the island for tournaments such as the  Staysure Legends Tour. 

“We want to attract the audience that would want to come to Barbados for this type of event, and the Staysure Legends have shown that they execute this quality event at the very highest level in the world. We want to make sure that we are at the forefront of hosting this kind of activity across the global stage”, Springer said. (PR/GIS)