'Grand' Caymans: LAAC's wee Masters
Hastings joins Jarvis in Caribbean islands' roster of champs; ANGC is 'Masters ready'
LAAC champ Justin Hastings is doused by fellow Cayman Islands golfers Andrew and Aaron Jarvis (LAAC)
The scuba diving is top notch, and so is the climate. It’s hard to beat the deep-blue water that surrounds the islands, where tourists flock to the Caribbean locale to get away from bitter winters.
The Cayman Islands are also known for the 600-some registered banks which makes for a world-wide financial hub. No income tax, no property tax are also perks of the British Overseas Territory situated between Cuba and Jamaica.
Golf is not big on the list of priorities.
While the year-long balmy temperatures are perfect for the sport, the land mass is not. Tiger Woods’ yacht (Privacy) is registered in the capital city of George Town, which is about as close as it gets to a major golf connection.
Until now.
For the second time in four years, a Cayman golfer has qualified for the Masters by virtue of his victory at the Latin America Amateur Championship.
Justin Hastings, 21, who plays college golf at San Diego State, won the title on Saturday in a 36-hole final-day marathon that saw him win by a stroke over Peru’s Patrick Sparks.
The final round was moved up a day due to impending poor weather and saw Hastings take a four-shot lead into the final round before hanging on.
The victory means invites to the Masters, U.S. Open and the Open as well as the U.S. and British Amateurs.
“It’s still crazy to think about. I don’t think it’s totally kicked in,” Hastings said in Buenes Aires after his victory at Pilar Golf Club. “I definitely learned a lot today and I learned that I still have things to work on in those moments. But at the same time, I’m proud to see how far my mental game has come in the last few years. Because I think a few years ago, I would have really struggled in that situation, and the calmness and the belief that I had coming down the stretch is really what got me through in the end.”
Here's what is mind-blowing. Hastings joined Aaron Jarvis, who won the LAAC in 2022, as players from the Cayman Islands to win the tournament.
The three Cayman Islands — Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman — have but one 18-hole golf course among them.
And from that location on Grand Cayman’s North Sound emerged Jarvis, perhaps the least likely of Masters participants, only be joined by another player from his country.
Both Jarvis and Hastings grew up on Grand Cayman, which actually has 27 total holes, but nine of them are at a resort.
Hastings holds the course record — set at age 16 — on the North Sound Golf Club course, a 6,600-yard, par-71 where he shot 14-under-par 57. That is the place where Hastings grew up and was the only real option he had to play as a kid.
“I have been flying our flag ever since I was 9 years old and to now do something that gets this island wide recognition is something I am super proud to be able to have accomplished,” Hastings told the Cayman Compass newspaper.
According to the Compass, Hastings won multiple junior titles, both local and international, including the IMG Junior Golf Tournament in 2017 and 2018. He’s competed in numerous events, including the World Amateur Team Championship, the Pan American Games as well as the 2024 Puerto Rico Open, a PGA Tour event, where he missed the 36-hole cut by a stroke.
He also has two collegiate victories for San Diego State, where he is a senior and holder of the school’s all-time low scoring average — better than two-time major winner Xander Schauffele.
“School has really elevated my game,” said Hastings, who attended the Cayman International School, a private school in Grand Cayman. “I was far from a prodigy as a junior golfer, and I feel like I have made strides at the college level. College golf is so competitive and is producing more and more PGA Tour-caliber players.”
Hastings, who is scheduled to play in a collegiate event next week at the Southwestern Invitational at Sherwood Country Club near Los Angeles, ranks 20th in the PGA Tour University rankings. He had planned to turn pro this spring after completing his college eligibility.
Those plans are on hold as he needs to remain an amateur to compete at the U.S. Open and the Open.
He also has the daunting task of trying to make the cut at the Masters, where just one previous LAAC winner has managed to qualify for the final 36 holes — Mexico’s Alvaro Ortiz in 2019.
Hastings first played in the LAAC at age 14 and finished fourth last year.
“My goal was absolutely to win,” he said. “After last year, and after Aaron won in 2022, I really knew that I was capable of doing it.
“With that being said, it’s important not to put too big of expectations on yourself when the tournament rolls around — but I definitely knew in the back of my mind that I could do it and it was my goal.”
Masters chairman Fred Ridley was on hand in Buenos Aires to welcome LAAC winner Justin Hastings (LAAC)
Ridley: Augusta is Masters ready after Helene
Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage to Augusta National Golf Club and the surrounding community when it blew through in September, but the golf course is expected to be in top conditions for the Masters in April — minus a good number of trees.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley spoke on the matter last week during a news conference a the Latin America Amateur Championship.
“As far as the impact, the long-term impact, we have not quite as many trees as we did a year ago,” Ridley said. “As far as the golf course goes, it’s in spectacular condition. I think we had minor damage to the course, the playing surfaces themselves, but we were able to get that back in shape, but I don’t think you're going to see any difference in the condition for the Masters this year.”
Ridley described the damage to the community as “catastrophic and historic” in October when he issued a statement concerning the situation. The club delayed its fall opening for more than a month due to the storm setbacks.
Later that month, Ridley announced that Augusta National, in partnership with the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area, was donating $5 million to the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund.
“Hurricane Helene was really a devastating event for the Augusta community and for a number of communities in the southeast, particularly in western North Carolina,” Ridley said Thursday. “We suffered a fair amount of impact from the hurricane and as did the entire community.
“I think what I’m the most proud of is the response of our entire organization to that natural disaster, which is really what it was. And not only what they did to get Augusta National back in shape, but as importantly, how they pitched in with the Augusta community and really helped out because there were many, many people, many of our people were out of their homes for a number of weeks. No electricity. The community didn’t have (drinking) water for a while.
“So, I’m just really proud of how our entire organization responded to that.”