By Faizool Deo

CHRISTINE Sukhram calmly walked up to the tee box at her first hole last Sunday morning. She drew out her trusted driver, addressed her ball, took a deep breath and swung. It was going to be a trying day, one that would test her resolve and temperament. And the day did just that.

The eventual winner was facing down the barrel of the gun after a below-average first day last Saturday. She was third, out of the top three female golfers in the country – a position that was strange for her in a gross competition at the Guyana Open Golf Tournament.
Sukhram had spent a considerable amount of time in the USA prior to the competition and had failed to re-adjust to the Lusignan Golf Course – but that was not the only factor.
Her competitors, Joaan Deo and Shanella Webster – both had won the Guyana Open as a net competition, with handicap – had improved their game and were ready to challenge her on a level playing field.

Deo had led after the first day. She had broken her regular driver two days before, but the dry ground on Saturday had helped the ball to run, which resulted in her shooting an 85, two shots better than Webster, and four better than Sukhram.
Sunday was wet, which worked against Deo, since she could not get the distance. It undermined her game.

Sukhram, who had won the Open eight times prior to last weekend, did not fare well in the early holes on the final day, whereas Webster had a solid start.
The 29-year-old eventual winner told the Guyana Chronicle that she was forced to calm herself down. She played each shot to its merit and tried to keep a level head.

Soon it became a two-way race for the title, but Sukhram was still trailing. She began chipping away at Webster, but with two holes to go she was still back by two shots.
The 17th hole on day two was the decider. Sukhram reached the edge of the green in her first shot, while her opponent overshot the green. Christine finished with a three to par the hole, while Webster ended with a five.

In the last hole, Webster showed resolve to bounce back with a par, but Sukhram also scored a par, which drew them even overall and a countback decided a winner.
The defending champion finished the final day with an 83, Webster with an 85 and Deo with a 92.

For Sukhram, her ninth Guyana Open title win was not only the most challenging of her career, but also the most important.