Bermuda Island Games Golf Team Announced
The Bermuda Golf Association [BGA] has selected eight players to represent Bermuda at the 2017 NatWest Island Games to be contested from June 24-30 at the Visby and Slite Golfklubbs in Gotland, Sweden.
The men’s team will include Walker Campbell, Jarryd Dillas, Will Haddrell and Mark Phillips, with Spencer Wideman and Mitchell Campbell named as the reserve players. The ladies team will consist of Katrin Burnie, Linda Down, Elizabeth Parsons and Tariqah Walikraam, with Tracy Burgess named as the reserve player.
Craig Brown, president of the BGA, believes that both teams can target success at this year’s Games, saying: “The teams selected represent a good blend of youth and experience, and I’m confident our players will do Bermuda proud both on and off the course this summer.”
At the 2015 Games in Jersey, the quartet of Dillas, Haddrell, Phillips and Damian Palanyandi won a bronze medal in the men’s team event, with Haddrell placing tied-fifth in the individual competition. The ladies team event was won by hosts Jersey, with the local team of Burnie, Down, Parsons and Ebonie Burgess finishing alone in fifth place.
Bermuda has been a perennial medal winner at the Island Games in the sport of golf since first entering the biennial competition in 2005.
In six previous appearances, the Bermuda men have won team Gold on three occasions [2007, 2009, 2013], and added third-place finishes in 2005 and 2015. The Bermuda ladies won team Gold back in 2009, earned runner-up honors in 2005, and finished third in 2007.
“We’ve had a number of very good performances at the Island Games over the years, so I know both teams are looking forward to the challenge of continuing that success in Gotland this summer,” added Brown.
“The men’s team will once again be targeting a run at the Gold medal, while the ladies will be aiming to improve on their result from two years ago and contend for a place on the podium.”
The International Island Games were founded in the Isle of Man in 1985 and today include 24 member islands in, or associated with, the nine sovereign nations of Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK, plus the Caribbean. Since 1999, NatWest has been the title sponsor for the Island Games, which have grown to become one of the largest international multi-sport events in the world.
