Persaud claims Guyana open title
- Sukhram top lady golfer
By Faizool Deo
Guyana Chronicle
November 21, 2006
AN amazing eagle shot on the par five, number 13 hole on Sunday was the turning point that propelled the soft-spoken, 16-year-old caddie Avinash Persaud to victory in the two-day Smirnoff Vodka Guyana Open golf competition.
Finishing second was former two-time champion Vijay Deo, while club captain Patrick Prashad copped third and Martin Short fourth.
In the ladies’ division of last weekend’s competition 17-year-old Christine Sukhram successfully defended her title winning all the prizes, including the best gross and best net for both days, while Judy Cooper grabbed second place.
In the 19-28 male flight, last year’s champion Ian Gouveia walked away with all the prizes. The 19 handicapper (27-handicap last year) finished with the best gross and best net for both days. In the 11-18 handicap flight, it was Martin Short who romped to victory.
The 0-10 handicap flight was a bit more complicated, with Deo finishing day one with the best gross and net scores, while on day two, Persaud (played with zero handicap) won the best gross and Eddie Sukhram won the best net.
After day one (Saturday) it was Short who finished with the best gross score (73), Deo placed second with 74, while Avinash was down the line with 78. On Sunday, Short was unable to continue his impressive run which resulted in the battle between Persaud and Deo. Deo was tipped as favourite to take the title, given that the youngster Persaud had little experience at the competitive level.
But, on the number 13 hole (fourth on the back nine), Deo made a triple bogie hitting the ball from one ditch to another.
Prior to that, on the same hole, minutes before, Persaud had reached the green in two shots and then had sunk a 16-foot put to finish with an eagle.
Persaud said the win was very important to him, as he was very nervous playing in a tournament of this nature.
A number of persons spoke at the closing ceremony, including Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony, who said that golf can bring a lot of people to Guyana and it is very important especially in Guyana’s tourism development.