\u2018Tis the season for giving, now more than ever. Following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, international golfer Roisin Scanlon is hosting a charity golf event on December 21 at the Constant Spring Golf Club to raise relief funds for those affected in Trelawny, her mother\u2019s home parish.<\/p>\n
\u201cHurricane Melissa was so devastating, not only for the community, but for my family as well. And, because I love Jamaica and its people, I wanted to help,\u201d the 18-year-old athlete explained to GoodHeart.<\/p>\n
The 2025 Helen Holm Scottish Women\u2019s Open champion, born in the United Kingdom, is currently attending boarding school in The Bahamas. Jamaica, however, holds a special place in her heart as it is her mother\u2019s birthplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cI currently live in The Bahamas, going back and forth between here and England, where I am from. But I\u2019ve been to Jamaica a few times. That\u2019s where my mom is from and I\u2019ve always been super close to her side of the family,\u201d Scanlon revealed.<\/p>\n
Scanlon said her connection to the Caribbean influenced her move to the Bahamas, \u201cAlthough the Bahamas isn\u2019t Jamaica, it\u2019s still in the Caribbean and I love the culture in the Caribbean.\u201d<\/p>\n
Introduced to golf at an early stage, she began playing the sport at just four years old. \u201cI played it recreationally and then I grew to love it so much. My parents couldn\u2019t take me away from the golf course. I started taking it a little bit more seriously when I was seven,\u201d the athlete recounted, adding, \u201cI got my first handicap and I started getting individual lessons because I started off having group lessons with other children my age. I then moved to The Bahamas where I got to refine my skills, because golf in England, the weather isn\u2019t that great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently studying on a golf scholarship, she continues to be guided by her coach in the 242. Since then, Scanlon has enjoyed significant success in her athletic career. At 12 years old, she won the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship, becoming the youngest player ever to achieve this milestone.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, she won the Helen Holm Scottish Women\u2019s Open. Reflecting on this victory, the young sports star shared, \u201cWinning this tournament was a big step for me because I\u2019ve done really well, but it had been a while since I had won. So, to win something that big… it wasn\u2019t just a junior tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding to that monumental moment was the sheer joy of having her parents watch her play and beam with great pride as they witnessed her win. \u201cBoth of my parents are athletes and they have driven me with their go-getting and disciplined mindset, particularly my mom. She pursued track and field, and even competed in the Commonwealth Games. They inspire me and support me in everything that I do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
GOLF AND GRATITUDE <\/p>\n
With plans to attend Texas Tech University in August for the fall, Scanlon is taking this Christmas season to focus her efforts closer to home, raising funds for communities in Trelawny, \u201cIt was important to give back to my mother\u2019s hometown and parish, because my mom is my everything. With the hurricane, I know that not everybody has even basic necessities. And I would love nothing more than to give back to the place where I am from and the community that has shaped me to be the person that I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the golfer had already set up a GoFundMe with her mother to raise as much support as possible, she wanted to do more, leading her to organise a charity golf event called Golf and Gratitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to put on this event to raise even more money, so that we can help those in need. I\u2019ll be giving guided golf lessons to anyone and everyone\u2013 from people who have never touched a golf club to intermediate players. There\u2019ll be beverages and drinks there for people who attend,\u201d Scanlon explained.<\/p>\n
The initiative aims not only to raise funds for rural areas of Jamaica but also to showcase black women representation in a sport long dominated by white men.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up as a black female, there was no one on television who played the sport that looked like me. My parents were the closest thing I had as athletes to look up to. Representation is really important. It has a profound impact on people as well. Some younger black girls from back home and from Europe, where I\u2019ve played, have looked up to me, even though I don\u2019t personally think that I\u2019ve reached the stage where I should be looked up to yet. But it\u2019s good that they\u2019re seeing a role model who they can identify with,\u201d she highlighted. <\/p>\n
With God and family as her inspiration, Scanlon aims to advance her career, possibly playing on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour, and inspire more people to enjoy the sport,<\/p>\n
\u201cBringing golf to Jamaica in this light, I hope we can inspire even more people to get involved in the game of golf so that they can develop a greater love for the sport. So [while] the aim is to raise money, we [also] want to raise awareness and make the sport more accessible to the wider public.\u201d<\/p>\n