Trey Williams is charting a new course for Jamaican golf

August 10, 2026

Jamaica has earned a global reputation for producing exceptional athletes, particularly in track and field, cricket and soccer.

Golf, however, has long occupied a different place in the country’s sporting landscape.

Despite a golfing history stretching back more than 160 years, the sport has remained a niche pursuit, with relatively few Jamaicans having the opportunity to compete at the highest international levels.

Limited access to courses and the high cost of equipment, coaching and travel have made golf one of the country’s more challenging sporting paths.

That is why Trey Williams’ journey stands out.

The Campion College graduate has emerged as one of Jamaica’s brightest young amateur golfers and is helping redefine what is possible for aspiring players from the island.

After completing his first season at McGill University, Williams finished tied for 36th among 105 competitors at the Canadian University/College Championship, demonstrating that he can compete with many of Canada’s top collegiate golfers.

His transition to Canada, however, demanded far more than simply adjusting to a higher level of competition.

Williams quickly discovered that Canadian golf presents challenges unfamiliar to someone raised in the Caribbean. During his first collegiate tournament at Mont Tremblant, morning temperatures dropped to just two degrees Celsius.

“Coming from the Caribbean, I had never played golf in that type of temperature,” he said. “It was definitely a learning curve for me, but I am proud of how I handled it.”

Williams also found that Quebec’s courses required a different style of play.

“The fairways are much narrower,” he pointed out. “This forced me for many of the competitions I played in to improve accuracy with my tee shots and especially my driver. Although it is great to hit far, it is more of an advantage to keep the ball in the fairway.”

Fortunately, Williams did not have to navigate those adjustments alone.

Before arriving at McGill, he had already met Camden Purboo while representing Jamaica at the 2025 Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship.

Purboo has strong Jamaican roots. His father was born in Jamaica, while his maternal grandfather migrated from Jamaica to England before moving to Canada with his wife in 1973.

That connection proved invaluable once Williams began university.

“Camden has been an incredible captain, mentor and friend throughout my first year at McGill,” Williams said. “Coming to McGill, I already knew I had someone I could rely on for advice and support as I adjusted to a completely new environment.”

Purboo’s influence extended beyond the golf course.

Williams said his teammate offered guidance through the challenges of university life and tournament preparation while also providing something less tangible but equally important.

“As one of the few Black golfers competing in Quebec, it was meaningful to have someone who shared a similar background and understood some of the unique experiences that come with that,” he said. “Having that connection made me feel more comfortable and gave me a greater sense of belonging from the very beginning. I am really grateful for the impact he had on my first year as a teammate and a friend.”

Their connection has extended to representing Jamaica internationally, with both golfers competing at the recent Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship in the Bahamas.

Just as Williams was beginning to establish himself at the collegiate level, however, he encountered an unexpected setback.

McGill announced it would discontinue its varsity golf program despite the team being self-funded and having qualified for the national championship.

“The whole team was extremely shocked and disappointed,” he said. “We had heard that the golf team was included in the teams that were under review, but at no point were we informed that golf may be discontinued. Provided that the golf program was entirely self-funded and we had just qualified for nationals in the coming spring, the whole team was confident that we would be ‘safe’ for the upcoming years. It is extremely difficult knowing that my collegiate golf career may come to an end after only one year. However, I am proud of how the team and I finished the season despite the challenges we faced.”

Rather than allowing the decision to derail his ambitions, Williams has chosen to remain at McGill to complete his degree while continuing to compete individually whenever opportunities arise. He and his teammates also hope the university will eventually restore the program.

Whatever happens with his collegiate career, representing Jamaica continues to provide his greatest motivation.

“It is a great honour to represent both my school and my country competitively,” Williams said. “It took a lot of hard work and many disappointments to reach this point.”

Those experiences have shaped the message he shares with younger golfers back home.

“When playing with the junior golfers in Jamaica, I find it important to encourage them and let them know that despite losses and setbacks, hard work and consistency will pay off,” Williams noted.

He hopes his journey will also broaden the horizons of Jamaica’s next generation of golfers.

While many talented juniors naturally look to American universities to continue their education and playing careers, Williams believes Canada deserves greater consideration.

“I hope my journey helps others realize that there are opportunities to continue their golf career in many places,” he said. “Canada is also an option, and the level of golf is greater than some may think. Although the seasons are shorter, there are opportunities to receive a great education while also playing competitive golf.”

Behind Williams’ progress is a family that has supported the considerable commitment required to pursue the sport.

He credits his parents, Neil and Seanne Williams, for supporting a journey that has required significant investment in equipment, coaching, tournament fees and international travel.

Williams and his twin brother, Zander, are the youngest of four siblings. Their eldest sister, Melissa, studied at McGill University, while their older brother, Matthew, earned recognition as one of Jamaica’s top junior go-kart racers before pursuing engineering and a career in motorsport.

Another major influence has been his godmother, Alison Reid, who introduced him to golf when he was six years old and became one of the driving forces behind junior golf in Jamaica.

As the Jamaica Golf Association’s longtime junior golf chairperson and now junior golf convener, she has helped strengthen the sport’s grassroots structure through year-round tournaments, school-based initiatives, expanded opportunities for girls and sustained advocacy for corporate sponsorship.

“Without these tournaments every year to practice my game, I likely would have never started playing golf competitively,” said Williams who applied to several universities in Canada and the United States but chose McGill after meeting Purboo and because his sister had attended the university. “She is the reason not only I, but several Jamaican junior golfers took the game seriously and continued to play at the collegiate level.”

The support he received growing up is something he is already finding ways to extend to others.

Together with fellow Jamaican national golfer Mattea Issa, he co-founded Clubs2Canes, a non-profit initiative that transforms discarded golf club shafts into walking canes for people who are blind.

The organization has donated 40 canes to the Jamaica Society for the Blind and hopes to expand the project through additional donations of used golf clubs.

Williams’ desire to give back also extends to the sport that has provided him with so many opportunities.

“In the future, I’d love to give back by mentoring junior golfers in Jamaica,” he said. “There are many promising young golfers on the island, and I believe with the right guidance they will be very successful in the sport.”

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