The Guyana Golf Association ‘Shoot for Cash’ activity in support of Cancer Awareness Month was a testament to how strong Guyanese can be in the face of adversity as the week long event was successfully completed while adhering to the strict COVID-19 guidelines.
Nearly two dozen women turned out to compete with newcomers, Leota King and Shez Andrews, finishing first and second respectively in the female division.
President of the Guyana Golf Association (GGA) and Nexgen Golf Academy and Driving Range, Aleem Hussain said it was heartening to see the strong support from pro-golfers from the Lusignan Golf Club, many of whom have been active in supporting Cancer Awareness over the past few years.
“Many of us have personal experiences with loss to and survival of cancer, and the turnout shows that golfers are dedicated to helping as much as possible as was evident by the support by Banks DIH and Citizens Bank last year,” said Hussain.
He thanked the corporate sponsors that included Ramesh Sunich, Trophy Stall; Yogendra Arjune, Assuria General Insurance; Karan Mehra, Vivaanta Ayurvedic Spa & Hair Salon; Sammy Arjune, Guyana Beverages; Paul Jiwanran, AR Printery; Kishan Persaud, Sissoons Paint; and Rudy Ramalingum of CIMGRO Maraiko Bay Golf Resort, for their support.
The event was coordinated by Al Junior Wilson, Sean Barrington, Lynette and Michelle Codrington and Philip Haynes who worked in unison to ensure that the photography and other activities went off smoothly.
Players had the opportunity to win cash or GTT credit along with trophies and prizes and the turnout was controlled by limiting the number of participants daily with the grand finale held Sunday when the excitement was visible as player after player focusing on the challenge at hand, hitting 10 balls into a bulls eye just 100 yards away with a chance to win $50,000 in cash.
Also throughout the day, in the men’s professional division, Mangal won the grand prize after he fought off the tough challenge from his son Rohan Albert, and narrowly bested Satrohan Robin Tiwari and past Lusignan Golf Club president Aasroodeen Shaw.
Samuel Carter took top honors in the men’s amateur division from newcomer to the sport Ryan Gonsalves
Hussain said he happy with the turnout and the new mix of players (mostly young professional women and families) that the new location was bringing to the sport.
“We will begin donating clubs and balls to schools and organizations around the country in an effort to reach our goal to have more than 2,000 new players by end of 2021,” said Hussain.
“Minister Ramson has made it clear that sports will play a key role in the development of youth programs and we want Golf to be at the forefront of that agenda,” he added.
The Guyana Golf Association and Nexgen Golf Academy and Driving Range, partnered with the Scouts Association of Guyana and the Guyana Teachers Union to develop the state of the art facility located on Woolford Avenue, minutes away from the Marriott and Pegasus hotels and is open daily until 21:00 hours, offering classes and opportunities to sharpen your game, providing equipment and unlimited balls for a low price.
