Guyanese golfers readying for Tobago Open on July 14-16
Guyanese golfers are expected to bring their ‘A’ game at the Tobago Open
In response to an invitation sent from the Trinidad & Tobago Golf Association to the Guyana Golf Association, members of the Westside Golf Club and Lusignan Golf Club are getting ready to take on the top players from around the Caribbean at Tobago Plantations, Magdalena Grand Beach & Golf Resort in Tobago from July 14-16th.
According to GGA President Aleem Hussain, he will be representing the Westside Golf Club, Guyana’s newest Course, in the First Flight, and Lakeram Panko Ramsundar (Panko Steel) will be doing so in the second flight.
Hussain is considered by some as one of the top players in the country, having tied for second in the 2022 Suriname Open and earning second best Net Score in the Championship Category (losing to current Guyana Open Champion Avinash Persaud on a countback) in the 2022 Guyana Open.
Lakeram Ramsundar from Panko Steel was one of the first members of the new Westside Golf Club in Vreed-en-Hoop, and has demonstrated his ability to play well under pressure. He stated, “This is the first-time that I’m representing the Club internationally, so I am prepared to take my ‘A game’ to Tobago in hope of competing well.”
At least four players from LGC are expected to participate in this major tournament, including Dr. Philbert London and Shanella London, the current Suriname Open and Guyana Open Women’s champion. She is seeking to add the Tobago title to a triple crown, a feat that has never been accomplished by any Guyanese woman in golf!
Mainly through the efforts of the GGA and Nexgen Golf Academy, Guyana has captured the attention of golfers worldwide, based on the rapid growth of the sport through collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s Unit of Allied Arts, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Guyana Tourism Authority which has allowed the sport to reach thousands of new players in the past two years.
Hussain has said his only regret is that our junior golfers are not yet prepared to compete on the international stage, owing to the developmental process, but now that they finally have access to the Westside Golf Course, he expects that Guyana will dominate tournaments in years to come.
