By Delvon McEwan
After a spectacular weekend of golf at the Lusignan Golf Course (LGC) where local golfers dominated the flights in the men’s and ladies’ categories at Guyana’s premier golf tourney, Digicel Guyana Open Golf Tournament, there is controversy surrounding the final results of the ladies’ category.
In the categories that were played, Avinash Persaud won his fifth title of the said tournament with an overall gross of 144 and a net of 140 in the 0-9 flight. Canadian Seepaul Suknanan won the ‘B’ Flight (10-18) with a gross of 157 and a net of 137 while in the ‘C’ flight (19-28) Parmanand Persaud won with a gross of 183 and a net of 141. In all three of the men’s categories the champions won because they ended with the best gross.
Meanwhile, in the ladies category Joaan Deo was pronounced champion after finishing with a gross of 181 and a net of 141. Deo was at the summit because of her net score of 141 while Christine Sukhram ended with a gross of 167 and a net of 149. However, since Deo was crowned controversy continues to grow surrounding the conditions for adjudging the winner in the ladies category. Several letters have even been published in the press concerning the issue.
President of the LGC David Mohamad, in an interview with this newspaper yesterday said the playing conditions this year are the same as last year when Jerome Khan was the president of the LGC and it dates back several years when Patrick Prashad was club captain. “The same format we inherit in 2013 was used in 2014,” he said.
According to Mohamad, a net tournament gives every participant a level playing field since it uses the handicap system. In addition, amateur tournaments are played using net scores, although the Digicel Guyana Golf Open tourney is not an amateur tournament. “In 2013 Sukhram played the same tournament with the said format and won,” he said, making it clear that the executives did not change any formats for the 2014 competition.
Colin Ming, Handicap chairman of the LGC said the best golfer is decided by the lowest gross, net involves deducting handicaps while the handicap system is used to equate golfers so that anyone can win. “To use net to establish the best golfer is a travesty,” he said.
Ming made it clear that champions are associated with gross scores while consolation prizes are for best net/s scores. Besides, he intimated that there is a bit of jostling in the club for power and authority. There is a clique; like anything that involves politics but the guys at the LGC who are running for elections and winning are incompetent. The chairman also found it curious that the ladies competed together on the first day of the tourney, but on the second day Deo was the only female who competed in a men’s group.
According to a source close to the LGC, the playing conditions for the ladies always favours the player with the best net and Sukhram always finished with the best net and gross so the results were never questioned. Importantly, a poster advertising the tournament, prepared by the LGC organizing committee states that the ladies’ championship in the 2014 competition will be decided by the net method.
When Stabroek Sport contacted Deo on the issue, she declined to comment.
Sukhram who is a 10-time champion at the Guyana Open, is of the view that whether a match is played overseas or locally, the winner is judged by their gross score. However, the 25-year-old player, who won last year after winning both net and gross, is aware that last year’s competition was decided on net. Whatever the outcome, Sukhram said she will not contest the decision because there is a committee that sets the rules. When asked if she has been affected by the results, she said, “I am a sponsored player and the results is in the media locally and overseas and it can affect my ranking.”
‘It’s not golf’
Meanwhile, former captain and president of the LGC Jerome Khan said he is disappointed that the situation has escalated and has been ventilated in the public before being discussed at an executive meeting. “It’s not golf!” he said. “At the Guyana Open whatever is decided by the executives for the tournament is publicized prior to the tournament because the participants must know what they are playing for before the commencement of the tourney.”
According to Khan, “the committee has the right to modify the format of the tournament as they see …fit …, as long as the changes are articulated and communicated prior to registration. If this was done then no complaints should be made regarding the issues of gross and net scores to determine the champion.” “It is clear that the concerns were raised after the tournament and not before and that’s why I’m personally disappointed,” he said. Secondly, Khan said it is unprecedented that the situation was aired in the media; complaints should have been addressed at a meeting.
Players’ handicap
The assessment of the overseas players’ handicap and the adjudication of the winner in the men’s category of the tourney was also up for debate. According to Ming, all local players have official handicaps once they submit scores at the end of golf meets but this was not the case with the foreign players. “In the past the overseas players commenced playing without any proof of their handicaps……then they seemed fairly honest but after several disagreement on their handicaps, in my capacity as handicap chairman I decided to ask the players to provide proof,” he said.
Khan also believes that issues regarding the overseas players’ handicap should be verified before tournaments. He also said that a male player cannot be crowned champion of the Guyana Open Tourney unless he is participating in the ‘A’ flight (0-9). “If you look at Wimbledon and other top sports in order to reach those status one must play to qualify, the same must be done here,” he explained.
Ming shares a different view. He opined that a player in ‘B’ and ‘C’ flights who ends with a better gross than the top player in ‘A’ flight should be crowned champion.
