In what turned out to be a competitive day of golf, Maxim Mangra emerged on top of a large field of golfers to take the Bruster’s Real Ice Cream Open tournament on Saturday at the Lusignan Golf Course.
Mangra, popularly called Danny, finished with a net of 65 same as Andre Cummings and Jeetendra Dhanpat, but was adjudged the winner after a countback.
The champion, who played off a handicap of 15, took 80 strokes to complete the course ahead of Dhanpat, who had the best gross of the day, 73. Dhanpat, playing off a handicap of eight, took the overall second spot, while Cummings, with a handicap of 14 and gross 79, finished third.
The Bruster’s Real Ice Cream Open, which was rescheduled from April earlier this year, attracted 44 registrants with 42 eventually teeing-off. This was comfortably the best turn out of the year as players look to fine tune their preparations for the 2021 edition of the Guyana Open.
In sunny conditions with a persistent light breeze, the players enjoyed the course and got great value for their strokes thanks to the hardworking team of curators headed by Mike Guyadin, who is also an excellent golfer.
The experienced golfer put down the tools and picked up the clubs to add to the competitiveness on the course. The businessman, playing off a handicap of 12, finished with a net score of 68 (gross 80) and copped a prize for having the Best Net in the Front Nine, 29.
Troy Cadagon also had a welcomed return to the course and marked the occasion by picking up the prize for the Best Net in the Back Nine, 31. Cadagon played with a handicap of 22 and took 97 strokes to finish the course.
The prize for Longest Drive went to one of three female starters, Joann Deo, who finished with a net of 69 playing with a handicap of 13, while the Nearest to the Pin trophy went to Roy Dhori.
Also in action were Guyana Open champion, Avinash Persaud, Parmanand ‘Max’ Persaud, Tom Watkins, experienced golfers William Walker, Club Captain Patrick Prashad, Guillermo Escarraga and LGC executives Patanjali Persaud and Paton George.
George, Treasurer of Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) and Director of Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, in a presentation at the trophy ceremony at the end of the action on the greens, said his company is honoured to be sponsoring a tournament of this magnitude and is looking forward to a long term relationship with the club. George then provided three delicious flavours of ice cream to everyone present.
Also addressing the membership was President Persaud, who thanked W&T George Group Enterprise for branding the tournament and spoke of the competitive spirit shown in golfers ahead of the highly anticipated Guyana Open.
Persaud also made special mention of the large turnout, the extremely good condition of the course and the immediate plans in terms of tournaments for the club.
The next tournament is on Saturday at the same venue, which is likely to be the Trophy Stall Open, followed by the Crown Mining Supplies Open and then the Guyana Open in the final weekend of October.
