Nathalie LeSenechal and Denvil Phillip
Last Saturday and Sunday, June 20th and 21st, several golf enthusiasts from the region converged on the Aurora Resort and Golf Club to participate in the 2026 Open Golf Championships hosted by the Anguilla Golf Association (AGA).
Some 43 players representing the USA, St. Kitts & Nevis, French St. Martin and Dutch St. Maarten, Guadeloupe, Antigua and Anguilla were excited to be a part of the event which marked a revival of the tournament following a hiatus which spanned over 10 years largely due to the inconveniences brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other mitigating factors.
The Awards Ceremony took place at the Golf Club’s D Richard Restaurant. In commenting on the event, the Association’s President, Noel Egan, said: “I want to thank everybody for being here. It has been over ten years since we have had our last tournament. We have been dormant for so many years because of various problems, but now we are going to be vibrant.”
“We have many tournaments lined up,” he mentioned. “We are going to integrate with the members here at the Aurora, and we are going to make this a very robust association, which will include our friends from all over the region.”
In announcing the outcome of the championship, Tournament Director, Richard Phillips, presented the following results: On the Course Contest for Day 1: The ladies’ long drive win on hole 6 went to Magda Gumbs; the longest drive for men on hole 13 went to Cardigan Connor; closest to the pin contest on hole 2 was won by Gavin Gill; closet to the pin on hole 11 went to Jason Chapman.
On the Course Contest for Day 2: Ladies long drive on hole 6 was won by Magda Gumbs; men’s longest drive on hole 13 went to Roberto Nasalli Rocca; closet to the pin on hole 2 was won by Denville Phillip; closest to the pin on hole 11 was won by Pierre Hecker.
Main Event Juniors: Magda Gumbs scored a two-round net total of 213.
Super Seniors’ Division: Val Banks scored a two-round net total of 153; Yvon Springer scored a two-round total of 177. The 2026 Anguilla Open Super Senior Gross Champion with a total of 159 was John Vasatka.
Seniors’ Division: Lester Samuel came in with a two-round total of 153; Cardigan Connor garnered a two-round gross of 195. The 2026 Anguilla Open Senior Champion with a two-round total of 183 was David Lawson.
Men’s Division: Vivik Sabnani gained a two-round net total of 190; coming in with a two-round gross total of 173 was Pierre Hecker. The 2026 Anguilla Open Men’s Flight Campion with a gross total of 169 was Chesney Hughes.
Ladies’ Division: Net Champion with a combined net total of 163 was Eva MacClean; Kathy Lawson gained a gross total of 197. The 2026 Anguilla Open Ladies Champion with a total gross score of 172 was Nathalie Le Senechal.
Championship Flight Division — Awarding the lowest two gross scores over the two days: In second place with a total gross score of 165 was Rodney Tackling. The 2026 Anguilla Open Champion with a combined total gross score of 154 was Denville Phillip of St. Kitts.
Mr. Egan expressed his appreciation to all who contributed in one way or another to the two-day tournament. In particular, he thanked Aurora Resort’s General Manager, Sean Robertson, for the hotel’s sponsorship; the Anguilla Tourist Board; Tropical Distributors; ANGLEC; Avis Car Rental; Quadlock Building Systems; Properties in Paradise; National Commercial Bank of Anguilla; The Beach Enclave; Tipsy Turtle; Lloyd’s Video Services; Steve Haynes; Richard Phillips; and Nathalie Le Senechal.
In addition, he thanked the golf course staff and the D Richards Restaurant staff, as well as the players from overseas and local players, all of whom helped to make the weekend golf tournament such a productive and rewarding experience.
By James R. Harrigan
