Barbadian golfer Emily Odwin has secured her first professional top-10 finish, weeks into her professional career following the completion of her collegiate career in the United States.
Odwin finished 9-under-par and tied for 10th at the Epson Smoky Mountain Championship in Alcoa, Tennessee.
Barbados Golf Association President Damian Edghill hailed the performance as a “massive” achievement.
“The jump from amateur status to professional is a massive one and I guess that will be in every competitor’s mind. So to be able to perform like this during her first month on the pro circuit is really an incredible achievement, which I am sure will boost her confidence going forward tremendously.
“Certainly at the Barbados Golf Association and I think I can say on behalf of the entire golfing community here, we’re extremely proud of Emily,” Edghill said.
He said Odwin’s progress, along with the lifelong example set by cricket icon Sir Garfield Sobers, who was also an avid golfer, could inspire the next generation of Barbadian players.
“We have two examples recently, with the unfortunate passing of Sir Garfield Sobers who was an example of superlative excellence and as you know he was an avid golfer as well.
“From him we have that historical legacy, but now we also have a youngster coming on in Emily. She’s showing the other young people of the current generation that they can go out there and if they work hard, they can get to the top,” the Edghill explained.
While Odwin builds on her success on the international scene, local players are preparing for the year’s most high-profile event.
“We’ve got the Barbados Open, which begins on September 18. It’s a three day tournament and we’re hoping for a good turnout. It’s our annual marquee event.
“We’re planning to honour Sir Garry as well in a number of ways at the event and we’re also creating a commemorative anthology booklet on his Life in Golf, which we will soon be publishing,” he revealed.
