Guyana’s top golfer teenager Avinash Persaud will begin his quest for championship honours when he competes today in the Trinidad and Tobago Open Amateur Golf championships at St. Andrew’s Golf Course in Port of Spain.

Persaud, a two-time winner of the Guyana Open which includes victory in the 2009 tournament,  will compete in the championship flight.

The tournament, hosted by the T&T Golf Association (TTGA), will feature 159 amateur golfers from Caribbean islands like Barbados, St Lucia, Grenada and St Kitts, as well as Guyana, Canada and the United States.
Persaud, who has been in the twin-island republic for the past two months, is no stranger to the Trinidad and Tobago circuit as he has campaigned there in the past.

The T&T Open is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the world, the third oldest national championship in the Western Hemisphere after the US Open and Argentina Open, and has also been hosted at Pointe-a-Pierre, Millennium Lakes Golf and Country Club, and Tobago.

The golfers will compete in various categories—the Championship, 1st Flight, 2nd Flight, Senior and Super Senior divisions.

There will be a new Championship Division winner this year as four-time T&T Open champion Ben Martin is not returning to defend his title, having taken up residence in England, according to reports.

The President’s Cup will also be contested among the international amateur golfers and the home team will attempt to regain the title from defending champions Barbados.

The T&T Open will be played over 72 holes, with the final round on Sunday.

Robert Costello will defend his Senior Division crown.