Former Guyana Open champion Sukhram remains positive despite delay

May 03, 2020 Sports

By Zaheer Mohamed

Around the globe, stadiums and sports arenas have plunged into silence in recent months with the corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak bringing tournaments to a standstill.

Christine Sukhram following her Guyana Open success in 2018.

As conventional sports such as cricket, football, basketball and golf being affected with numerous countries placing their citizens in lockdown, many athletes still continue with their daily training routines in order to maintain a decent level of fitness.
Golf is perhaps the safest sport at which one can practice on the turf during the COVID-19 quarantine, but there are a number of precautions that must be taken such as, skipping the driving range, washing of golf towels; uphold social distancing with golf partners and wearing of golf gloves and masks.
In recent years golf has risen to new heights locally where a record 47 tournaments were hosted by the Lusignan Golf Club in 2019, the most ever hosted by the club in a calendar year; 42 were staged in 2018.
Many golfers are looking forward to a halt in the pandemic, soonest, so that they can continue to ply their trade. One such golfer is former Guyana open female champion Christine Sukhram.
Despite being put on the back-foot recently due to a halt in the sport, Sukhram continues to train daily and is confident that she can recapture Guyana’s most prestigious golf hardware- the Guyana Open.

Christine Sukhram in action in the Guyana open 2019.

Christine Sukhram takes a break during one of her practice sessions in New York.

Speaking with Kaieteur Sport, the nine-time Guyana open champion said despite being limited to mostly indoor training, she is working hard to ensure she remains fit. Sukhram, who is currently in New York, informed that she had journeyed there to train and play on the different courses, but was only limited to indoor practice due to the corona virus. “Every course is a challenge, I was looking forward to playing on the different courses here, but not being able to do so is a setback for me, however, I am trying my best to stay fit by working out indoors,” she said, adding that she is still looking forward to an opportunity to play there.
Her love for the sport at a tender age is the main reason that led her to pursue a career in golf. Sukhram said she trains everyday and noted that she had to adjust mostly to indoor training. “I am working on my strokes among other things at the moment. The indoor training has provided me with an opportunity to work on the mental aspect of my game and I have seen some improvement. This is a vital aspect for any player; golf is not only about being physically fit, it takes a lot out of us to play and remain consistent, so it is important to be able to focus up to the last stroke because you can be ahead, but coming down to the last stroke if you are not focus things can go haywire,” she added.
Sukhram, who last won the Guyana open in 2018, said a number of things didn’t go down too well for her in the 2019 edition of the Guyana Open. “Certain things didn’t work well for me in that tournament, I tried some new stuff, but I will be going back to my old method which I find works best for me.”
Sukhram began playing the game from the age of six in Grenada under the guidance of her dad, the late Basil Sukhram who was her first coach. “My dad used to coach players in Grenada; we used to live in an apartment on the course there, so I developed a passion for the sport since I was six,” she posited.
Sukhram started to play competitively in Guyana at the age of 15. She tasted success early in her career when she won an U16 tournament in Barbados. She also played in Trinidad and Tobago where she won the net title and placed second overall in the Sveelty Carnation tournament. She also won the ladies best gross title in Suriname for three years.
It is said that with the wrong attitude you can do everything right and still fail, and with the right attitude you can do everything right and still succeed. The former Guyana open champion is a pleasant and polite individual who is willing to help the youths in the sport. On the course she has displayed a never say die attitude and she is looking forward to playing in tournaments beyond the shores of the Caribbean. “I am looking forward to playing in tournaments in the USA and Canada and move on the higher levels. I am working hard to improve in all aspects of my game so that I can represent Guyana with distinction.”
Sukhram noted that there is not a wide variety of female players in Guyana, but indicated that the players here are up to par and have provided her with stern challenges.
She stated that the sport has grown from strength to strength locally with a number of new members coming on board and the course at Lusignan has improved considerably with lights in place.
“I am hoping to see some new young players coming through and businesses lending their support so we can continue to play on a regular basis.”
She said that the COVID-19 has put the sport at a disadvantage, but reckoned that players’ safety is important.
The 31-year old Sukhram who attended Bladen Hall Secondary, lives at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara. She expressed gratitude to her sponsors, family and friends and stated that with their continued support she will continue to excel.