Written By Calvin Roberts
TEENAGED sensation Avinda Persaud, who three weeks ago had shot a gross 69 on the Lusignan Golf Course (LGC) yesterday dominated a star studded field to take top honours in the inaugural Digicel Guyana Open Golf Championships which culminated at the East Coast Demerara based venue.

On the distaff side, seven times champion Christine Sukhram proved that she is head and shoulders above her competitors in the big game, when she claimed her eighth successive title, while former Guyana and West Indies cricket legend Joe Solomon was made a Life Member of the club.

Starting the day on the leader board in a position that lacked mention after his brother and defending champion Avenash Kishore looked set to make it title number five, while competing in the championship flight, Persaud showed that his feats that were achieved the weeks prior to the tournament was no fluke yesterday, ending with a gross 151 to take the top prize and the sponsor’s Red Jacket.

In addition to the top prize, 18 year old Kishore also won for himself a return ticket to any Caribbean destination of his choice where he will compete in an Open Golf tournament, compliments of an ardent golf fan.

Patrick Prashad copped the second position with a gross 153, the same number as Avenash Persaud, the defending champion, but following a count back, Prashad took home the runner-up trophy.

On the distaff side, Sukhram had a net 136 which was better than the President’s Cup winner in Shenella Webster’s net of 144 and Joann Deo’s 150, to take home her eighth successive Guyana Open title and a cash prize from an ardent golf fan.

Sukhram had grossed 156 in comparison to Deo’s 194 and Webster 210, on her way to dominating the field for another year.

The Second Flight (10-18) was won by Roy Cummins with a gross 162 and net 140 from Lakeram Samsundar (170) and Colin Ming (173), while Jerome Khan had a net 142, the same as Mike Gayadin, but having had a better net at the end of the first day, Khan was awarded the runner-up position.

Esau Shamshudin took the Third Flight (19-28) category with gross 187, the same number as K.M Chung, while Payton George grossed 193, but George had a better net of 147, ahead of Shamshudin and Chung, to take the top prize.

Other individual awards included Nearest to the Pin Munaf Arjune (Day One) and Avenash Persaud (Day Two) and Longest Drive Munaf Arjune (Day One) and Roger Rajkumar (Day Two).

Following the presentation ceremony, Digicel’s Marketing Director Jacqueline James applauded the pint sized Avinda Kishore for the win, while saying her company was proud to be associated with the tournament in its entirety for the first time this year, with the promise of making next year ‘Bigger and Better’, just as their slogan says.