LPGA Golfers Compete For US$1M Purse
With 54 holes of championship golf in Rose Hall, the spotlight was on the historic Cinnamon Hill Golf Course April 15 and 16, 2010. The fabulous looking greens of the Cinnamon Hill course proved the perfect spot for 16 top ranking LPGA lady golfers, who teed off for the first ever MOJO 6 tournament in Jamaica. Played in the ‘Raceway’ format, the inaugural event lived up to the hype and ushered in a new era of golf. Christina Kim, Suzann Pettersen and Anna Nordqvist were among the golfers who competed for the US$1 million purse and brought professional golf back to Jamaica in grand style. Aired on CBS in May, the successful tournament is, thus far, Cinnamon Hill golf course’s finest achievement.
While the dust has settled and the results have been in for a long time, spectators and golfers are still talking about how the unique, new Raceway Golf™ format played by the professional lady golfers at the MOJO 6 tournament will change the game. The hotly debated new format, which tests the limits of the world’s best athletes through a faster, shorter and more cut-throat type of competition, proved to be everything it set out to be and more, as the 16 elite LPGA players battled for their share of the US$1 million purse.
Unlike the dry play of most tournament golf, the innovative new format pits the players against each other in a series of six-hole matches. The head-to-head match-ups proved successful as friendships were laid to rest and the professional competitors took off their gloves to call out their opponents in an unusual spin which added intense heat to the tournament.
“I love this format, it’s really challenging, fun and you just never know what’s coming,” said Christina Kim, who made it to the second day. “I think this is the best entertainment women’s golf has seen in a while. The format changes everything, the buzz among players and fans alike is high, and the head-to-head competition is even higher.”
“The Mojo 6 is golf like you’ve never imagined it,” noted Ed Moses, Olympic champion and co-founder of Mojo. “Normally players can put their blinders on and try to beat the course, but in Raceway Golf, it’s survival of the fittest. It’s not about your score; it’s about beating the person standing in front of you.”
Aired on CBS on May 1 and 2, the event kicked off with the ‘Red Carpet Match-Up Party’ at the Iberostar Hotel in Montego Bay, where the girls smiled for the cameras while preparing to turn friends into rivals. ‘Day One’ of the two day tournament was highlighted by LPGA-ranked veterans trying to prey on the rookies and amateurs in the hopes of racking up points to secure their spot in the final group of eight that advanced to Round 2, ‘Championship Day’. 16 year-old teen golf phenomenon and amateur, Mariah Stackhouse, and LPGA rookie, Beatriz Recari, whom fans voted into the tournament for the 16th and final spot, were targeted by more established, veteran players who were quick to pick them as opponents.
Suzann Pettersen from Norway, who is number three in the Rolex World Rankings, the highest ranked player in the field and fresh off a close, second-place finish at the Nabisco Championship, not surprisingly picked the unknown Mariah Stackhouse. When asked about it, Pettersen made no effort to hide her strategy, saying quite honestly, “We’re not running a charity here.”
While some of the more notable matches appeared lop-sided on paper, as the day progressed and more strategy came into play, rookies and younger players proved they were up to the challenge. “I’m not scared of anyone, I want to play the best, so I can beat the best,” said 22-year-old Beatriz Recari from Spain, who played well enough to advance to the single elimination on the second day.
After an intense ‘Day One’, replete with plenty of playoff hole drama, the final eight ladies left standing in the field on ‘Day Two’ came ready for battle. In single elimination, bracket-style play, there were no second chances and no shortage of playoffs, water balls and lipped putts. And in the end it came down to the final hole, as All-American rookie Amanda Blumenherst faced off against former major LPGA champion, Swedish Anna Nordqvist, who beat the rookie 1-up over the final, tension-filled six holes.
The event ended splendidly with a farewell beach party hosted by The Palmyra Resort & Spa where many of the players were spotted having a great time. Said tournament winner Anna Nordqvist, “I had a great time in Jamaica, made lots of friends and will be back!” www.themojo6.com.
ROSE HALL GOLF COURSE FACTS THE CINNAMON HILL GOLF COURSE
Built on what used to be a 400-acre sugar plantation, Cinnamon Hill Golf Course meanders through the lush mountains out to the coast where players are close enough to the ocean to feel the sea spray on their faces. Robert von Hagge, Michael Smelek and Rick Baril designed the par-72 course with the resort player in mind. Winding gently through the historic Cinnamon Hill sugar plantation, the 18-hole course is enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels. Players can enjoy stunning scenery that includes the ruins of an 18th-century sugar mill, aqueducts and inlaid stone walls, plus a waterfall at the 15th hole that was featured in the James Bond film Live and Let Die. Call 953-2984. www.cinnamonhilljamaica.com.
THE WHITE WITCH GOLF COURSE
Carved out of 4,000 acres of the foothills and countryside, the White Witch Golf Course; named after Rose Hall Plantation mistress Annie Palmer, is both breathtaking and challenging. According to local legend the bewitching brunette killed her three husbands in Rose Hall’s imposing Great House and it is said that her magical charms are replicated on the course, which is alluringly dangerous and unpredictable - just like its namesake. Designed by Robert von Hagge, spectacular ocean views can be enjoyed from 16 of the course’s 18 holes. The course is blessed with hospitality trained caddies, or ‘Golf Concierges’, who see to players every whim and provide expert advice on how to ‘tame The Witch’. Call 518-0174. www.whitewitchgolf.com.
THE HALF MOON GOLF COURSE
Many golfers favor the par-72 Half Moon Golf Course, Rose Hall’s third golf course, which is located within the 400-acre Half Moon resort. The course is reminiscent of a true British-links style course, with trade winds and water hazards adding to the challenge of navigating undulating greens sculpted from the foothills of the island’s western coastline. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1964, the Half Moon Golf Course has an international reputation for being both challenging and beautiful. Call 953-2211. www.halfmoongolf.com.
While the dust has settled and the results have been in for a long time, spectators and golfers are still talking about how the unique, new Raceway Golf™ format played by the professional lady golfers at the MOJO 6 tournament will change the game. The hotly debated new format, which tests the limits of the world’s best athletes through a faster, shorter and more cut-throat type of competition, proved to be everything it set out to be and more, as the 16 elite LPGA players battled for their share of the US$1 million purse.
Unlike the dry play of most tournament golf, the innovative new format pits the players against each other in a series of six-hole matches. The head-to-head match-ups proved successful as friendships were laid to rest and the professional competitors took off their gloves to call out their opponents in an unusual spin which added intense heat to the tournament.
“I love this format, it’s really challenging, fun and you just never know what’s coming,” said Christina Kim, who made it to the second day. “I think this is the best entertainment women’s golf has seen in a while. The format changes everything, the buzz among players and fans alike is high, and the head-to-head competition is even higher.”
“The Mojo 6 is golf like you’ve never imagined it,” noted Ed Moses, Olympic champion and co-founder of Mojo. “Normally players can put their blinders on and try to beat the course, but in Raceway Golf, it’s survival of the fittest. It’s not about your score; it’s about beating the person standing in front of you.”
Aired on CBS on May 1 and 2, the event kicked off with the ‘Red Carpet Match-Up Party’ at the Iberostar Hotel in Montego Bay, where the girls smiled for the cameras while preparing to turn friends into rivals. ‘Day One’ of the two day tournament was highlighted by LPGA-ranked veterans trying to prey on the rookies and amateurs in the hopes of racking up points to secure their spot in the final group of eight that advanced to Round 2, ‘Championship Day’. 16 year-old teen golf phenomenon and amateur, Mariah Stackhouse, and LPGA rookie, Beatriz Recari, whom fans voted into the tournament for the 16th and final spot, were targeted by more established, veteran players who were quick to pick them as opponents.
Suzann Pettersen from Norway, who is number three in the Rolex World Rankings, the highest ranked player in the field and fresh off a close, second-place finish at the Nabisco Championship, not surprisingly picked the unknown Mariah Stackhouse. When asked about it, Pettersen made no effort to hide her strategy, saying quite honestly, “We’re not running a charity here.”
While some of the more notable matches appeared lop-sided on paper, as the day progressed and more strategy came into play, rookies and younger players proved they were up to the challenge. “I’m not scared of anyone, I want to play the best, so I can beat the best,” said 22-year-old Beatriz Recari from Spain, who played well enough to advance to the single elimination on the second day.
After an intense ‘Day One’, replete with plenty of playoff hole drama, the final eight ladies left standing in the field on ‘Day Two’ came ready for battle. In single elimination, bracket-style play, there were no second chances and no shortage of playoffs, water balls and lipped putts. And in the end it came down to the final hole, as All-American rookie Amanda Blumenherst faced off against former major LPGA champion, Swedish Anna Nordqvist, who beat the rookie 1-up over the final, tension-filled six holes.
The event ended splendidly with a farewell beach party hosted by The Palmyra Resort & Spa where many of the players were spotted having a great time. Said tournament winner Anna Nordqvist, “I had a great time in Jamaica, made lots of friends and will be back!” www.themojo6.com.
ROSE HALL GOLF COURSE FACTS THE CINNAMON HILL GOLF COURSE
Built on what used to be a 400-acre sugar plantation, Cinnamon Hill Golf Course meanders through the lush mountains out to the coast where players are close enough to the ocean to feel the sea spray on their faces. Robert von Hagge, Michael Smelek and Rick Baril designed the par-72 course with the resort player in mind. Winding gently through the historic Cinnamon Hill sugar plantation, the 18-hole course is enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels. Players can enjoy stunning scenery that includes the ruins of an 18th-century sugar mill, aqueducts and inlaid stone walls, plus a waterfall at the 15th hole that was featured in the James Bond film Live and Let Die. Call 953-2984. www.cinnamonhilljamaica.com.
THE WHITE WITCH GOLF COURSE
Carved out of 4,000 acres of the foothills and countryside, the White Witch Golf Course; named after Rose Hall Plantation mistress Annie Palmer, is both breathtaking and challenging. According to local legend the bewitching brunette killed her three husbands in Rose Hall’s imposing Great House and it is said that her magical charms are replicated on the course, which is alluringly dangerous and unpredictable - just like its namesake. Designed by Robert von Hagge, spectacular ocean views can be enjoyed from 16 of the course’s 18 holes. The course is blessed with hospitality trained caddies, or ‘Golf Concierges’, who see to players every whim and provide expert advice on how to ‘tame The Witch’. Call 518-0174. www.whitewitchgolf.com.
THE HALF MOON GOLF COURSE
Many golfers favor the par-72 Half Moon Golf Course, Rose Hall’s third golf course, which is located within the 400-acre Half Moon resort. The course is reminiscent of a true British-links style course, with trade winds and water hazards adding to the challenge of navigating undulating greens sculpted from the foothills of the island’s western coastline. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1964, the Half Moon Golf Course has an international reputation for being both challenging and beautiful. Call 953-2211. www.halfmoongolf.com.
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