MARIGOT:--- The annual event of the Concordia Cup golf tournament was held over the weekend of November 13th and 14th. Starting in 2005, this tournament is based on golf’s “Ryder Cup“ and pits Dutch side St. Maarten Golf Association ( SMGA ) players and French side Saint Martin ( Les Tamarins ) players. The event is held over two days with 18 players per team.
Scoring is 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.
Due to the lack of golf carts, the format was changed so that the players would only have to complete 18 holes in total instead of 36 holes. On Saturday morning 36 players started playing at Mullet Bay Course in teams of “2 against 2“ for 9 holes. The lowest score of the 2 being the one that counts against the opponent’s lowest score. Les Tamarins' player's team managed to go ahead with a score of 5 and a half vs 3 and a half.
Following on, all players went straight on to play the remainder of the course with a different format. In teams of 2, the players had to hit the same ball alternately until the end of the hole. This time the Dutch players fought back gaining 5 points over 4 points. So after the first day, the competition remained close with the French team leading with 9 and a half points vs 8 and a half for the Dutch..
Sunday morning the format was 18 individual matches. SMGA players had to win 10 out of the 18 matches to win back the cup. A daunting task and one that sadly did not come to fruition, with Les Tamarins gaining a successful 11 wins against 7. Thus Les Tamarins golfers retained the Concordia Cup 2022 with a 20-and-a-half to 15 and a half point win.
Since 2005 this 2022 Concordia Cup is the 18th annual tournament. Presently the Dutch side has won 10 and the French side 8. The French side has won the cup for the last 4 years so the future years will be exceptionally interesting.
Keith Graham ( President SMGA) thanked Jan Peter Holtland for taking over from Gitte with the scoring and organization. Jean-Paul Clerk ( President Les Tamarins ) thanked Fred Boureau for his help and the SMGA for the organization.
The Concordia Cup tournament, although very competitive, is played based on friendship and in good spirits and all players look forward to continuing this prestigious tournament for many more years.