Mo Shafi on behalf of the USA team for the Guyana Open Golf Tournament issued a warning to the rest of the field, especially the Guyanese contingent, that they will have a difficult task tomorrow and Sunday at the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC).
Shafi was speaking after the tournament was launched yesterday under the R1 Vodka brand in the Banks DIH conference room.
Shafi, who is part of a seven-member US team, said that they will give the Guyanese “a run for their money” although conditions may not ideally suit them.
“We are here to give the Guyanese a run for their money. It is not going to be an easy task for them (Guyanese) and they can expect a highly competitive two days from us,” Shafi declared.
Shafi, who has played at the Lusignan Golf Club on several occasions, also hoped that the weather improves in time for the tournament.
According to Shafi the last two players will arrive this afternoon but the rest of the squad had been in Guyana for a couple of weeks participating in tournaments.
Shafi described this as a form of fine-tuning for the major tournament, especially since the golf season in the US closed in October. He also said he is thankful for the opportunity to compete in the tournament and promised that it will be high level competition and patrons should come out in their numbers to witness great contests.
Shafi said that their attendance at the tournament is also to assist the LGC’s future development.
The players representing the US team are Salim Rasheed, Anwar Shafi, M.F. Shafi Alim Badradeen, J.P. Lall and Mo Shafi.
Meanwhile, when Stabroek Sport spoke to local golfer Lakeram Ramsundar, he stated that spectators can expect a “fairly good game and good competition.” He opined that the tournament will be extremely challenging.
Speaking on this year’s tournament Patrick Prashad, who is also the Captain of the LGC, revealed that the ladies tour will have one flight with a 0-36 handicap while the men will have three flights with the 0-9, 10-18 and 19-28 handicaps.
A flight is a term for a division of golfers within a golf tournament. Each flight, or division, consists of golfers of roughly similar skills, determined by the handicaps.
Handicap refers to a numerical representation of a golfer’s playing ability. The lower a golfer’s handicap, the better the golfer is.
According to Prashad the best player will be decided after gross scores are combined after the two days of competition on 18 holes. However, if the rain should hamper play then a winner will be decided from the round that is played.
There will also be individual winners on each day in the different flights. According to Prashad 74 players have registered to play at the tournament despite the ceiling being set for 72 players; 10 players are from Suriname, Canada has an eight-man contingent and Guyana has 49.
Some of Guyana’s top players are expected to participate in the tournament, including last year’s teenage male winner Avinash Persaud and ladies champion Christine Sukhram.
It is not yet known whether other winners from last year such as Canadian High Commissioner, Francois Montour who won the men’s 10-17 flight and Ayube Subhan, who won the 18-23 class, will be participating. However Mark Lashley, winner of the 23-28 class, has confirmed his participation for this year. Also speaking at the launching Marketing Executive of Banks DIH Carlton Joao said that for the last 10 years the tournament has grown and the company is hoping ‘to achieve sustainability.” He estimated that the tournament is the “largest and most prestigious” and the company has been sponsoring the tournament under different brands, with last year’s tournament coming under Power Stout.
He also reported that the company will be looking to develop the sport by assisting with coaching of emerging talents and ensuring that the tournament continues to thrive.
On the day of the tournament the beverage giants will be ensuring that the competitors are hydrated and fed by the Banks DIH subsidiary, OMG!. The cost for the tournament is in the region of $1.5 million.
