‘Winning Suriname Golf Open was pinnacle of 2018,’ says Dr Joaan Deo

– looking to play more overseas games in 2019

By Clifton Ross

Local pro golfer Dr. Joaan Deo is very desirous of prolonging the phenomenal form she has achieved with the club this year; and is also seeking to further perfect her craft in 2019.
Currently the Suriname Open Champion, Deo told Guyana Times Sport on Friday that 2018 has not only been a great year for the golf fraternity, but has also, on a personal note, been one of her best years as a professional golfer.
Besides winning several tournaments this year, the former Guyana Open champ defeated a bevy of international golfers in the Suriname Open Championships held in October. And she achieved this feat with less than a day’s practice, thus the Guyanese pro has dubbed winning the title as the highlight of her year.
“My main goal was to win the Suriname Open this year; because, like about six years ago, I was there and I didn’t perform well. I went there (this year) and I had a day to practice, and I eventually won; and that was the highlight of the year for me,” Deo has said.
Unfortunately, she could not replicate her sterling performance a month later, during the Guyana Open Cup. Deo admitted, “I don’t like complaining, but I didn’t

have a good (Guyana) Open.” She was referring to the bad final day she experienced after being on top of her game on day one. Her lapse in form inevitably led her to lose her way, and eventually the chance of being crowned dual champ.
There were close to 50 golf tournaments played in 2018, and Deo has credited the Executive Committee of the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) for putting the sport on the map. She pointed out that, over the years, golf has been a quiet sport in Guyana; but since President Aleem Hussain and his team took office back in late 2017, golfers have been treated with 10 times the amount of games played in previous years, while the sport has managed to acquire a number of high-profile sponsors.
“Since the new committee took office, they immediately ran off close to 50 tournaments, and we had a good amount of sponsors. So, in all, I think it was a good year for the golf fraternity. Also, Aleem and his committee and the MACORP members had a solid ground staff crew which kept the conditions playable throughout the year,” Deo has said.
She noted that the immaculate condition of the course has facilitated players with more game time; and she said that development has brought a significant amount of zest and joy to the LGC family, as a number of players — herself included — have managed to improve their game significantly, thanks to the extensive amount of game time afforded.
She also hailed the local media fraternity for their immense input in 2018, which has helped golf to be more integrated within schools, the University of Guyana, and in other areas of education. She opined that the committee was bent on marrying golf and school, and will seek to continue the drive in 2019.
As for her plans in 2019, the Dentist has said she wants to desperately lower her Handicap (A numerical measure of a golfer’s potential ability) to single digits, as she currently has a handicap of 14.
Having taken some time off from the sport to focus more on academics, Deo, who graduated from the University of Guyana in 2017, has said she now has more time to enhance her skills and better her game.
She says playing more overseas games will be on her agenda, and she’s currently eyeing the 2019 Open set to be held in March in Trinidad & Tobago. She also notes that much preparation is needed ahead of her title defence in the 2019 Suriname Open.
Summing up 2018, Deo says it has arguably been the best year for the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC), and it has been one of her best years in recent times as an athlete. She extends her gratitude to the current executive committee for making the LGC a place where golfers can play, gather, and feel comfortable.