Bermuda’s Darina Betschart produced a roller-coaster opening round to seize the sole lead of the Girls 15 and Under Division at the 2026 Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships.
Making their historic debut as full members of the Caribbean Golf Association, Bermuda's promising young pipeline enjoyed a highly eventful opening day of tournament play at the picturesque Playa Dorada Golf Club in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Betschart, who captured the Girls 11 to 13 crown last year, made an immediate, explosive statement after moving up an age bracket. The young Bermudian carded an incredibly rare opening scorecard to finish the day at a brilliant four-over par.
In a round entirely devoid of a single standard par, Betschart exhibited immense damage control and attacking flair. Her day was illuminated by a spectacular eagle and two birdies, allowing her to hold the summit despite suffering four bogeys and two double bogeys across the challenging coastal layout.
In the Boys 11 to 13 Division, Lewis MacFarlane anchored himself inside the top ten following a gritty, determined opening loop. MacFarlane signed for an 11-over par round of 83 to finish the day in solo sixth place, carding a solitary birdie and seven stable pars against nine bogeys and a single triple bogey.
His younger compatriot, ten-year-old Bradford Laing—the youngest competitor in the entire division—endured a much tougher introduction to continental tournament play. Laing ended the day in 16th place after carding a 21-over par round of 93, a resilient effort that included five pars, eight bogeys, four double bogeys, and a quadruple bogey.
The story of grinding out scores under intense international pressure continued into the higher age brackets. In the Boys 15 and Under Division, Grayson Tavares concluded his opening round in 14th place overall after firing a 15-over par round of 87.
Tavares provided one of the day’s ultimate highlights with a majestic eagle of his own, complementing his card with six pars, though six bogeys, four costly double bogeys, and a triple bogey hampered his upward momentum.
Meanwhile, in the prestigious Boys 18 and Under flagship division, Sa-Qui Robinson matched his teammate's standing, ending day one in a tie for 14th place. Robinson demonstrated fine elite-level consistency on the greens to card 10 brilliant pars, but a late run of five bogeys, two double bogeys, and a triple bogey left him signing for a 14-over par round of 84 ahead of tomorrow's second-round charge.
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