Mercedes Benz Trophy golf next Saturday

by S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr.

GOLF: Over sixty entries have been received for the Mercedes Benz Trophy golf championship organised by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort and sponsored by DIMO (Dessel and Motor Engineering Company Limited) the local agents for Mercedes Benz, which will be worked off at the Victoria golf course at Rajawella off Kandy next Saturday (April 30th) commencing at 7.30 a.m.

This is the second time that the Mercedes Benz Golf Championship is being held at Victoria since this golf course was opened for golfers in 1998.

This championship is open to all owners of a Mercedes Benz vehicle and that it is going to be tussle between the owners of Benz vehicles who are also golfers. Victoria region is at present experiencing rains in the afternoons and this has ensured that the golf course is in topping condition with a luxuriant growth of grass moved and made challenging by the Course Manager Maheel Bulumulla under the guidance of the Australian General Manager Errol Johnston.

This golf course has also won the award for the 'Best Course' in the Sub-continent on three different occasions for its excellence in providing the golfers with the best and also the enchanting beauty and the facilities it has had on offer including a chain of guest houses and chalets and a stare of the art Restaurant 'Araliya'.

According to the organisers, a total of seven events will be worked off which will be six for gentlemen and one for ladies and all winners and runners-up will be awarded with trophies.

The events will be worked off under the following categories: A) for gentlemen having handicaps between 0-12, B) for gentlemen having handicaps between 13-20, C) for gentlemen having handicaps between 21-14.

The competition for ladies will be for handicappers between o to 36 and a keen tussle is expected in this segment as almost all the ladies will play in the same competition irrespective of their handicaps.

Thirteen of the winners and runners up will qualify to play in the Asian Golf Championship which will be held in Brisbane in Australia this year.

Thus one of the goals of the golfers at this prestigious golfing event is to qualify for the Asian segment where they will compete with the elite from many other countries.

Victoria Golf and Country Resort has come in for a lot of praise over the years for the excellent facilities it has on offer and this is being upgraded from time to time to meet the international requirements.

The Australian born General Manager Errol Johnston himself a reputed golfer has been doing a fine job and also participates at competitions regularly in keeping with the adage "The proff of the pudding is by eating it".

At the recently concluded Donald Steel Golf Championship which saw more foreign golfers than locals, many of them were captivated by the enchanting beauty of the course and the challenges it had to offer and most of them vowed to come back soon with their families and friends.

Apart from the road transport, for those wishing to get to the course quickly, there is an air taxi service (sea planes operated by the SriLankan Airlines and the landing point in only a few hundred yards from the Club House.

Entries are still open and those interested should contact Dhanu on mobile No 0727840894 or 0777-840894 or log into marketing atvictoriagolf.lk or Log into www.golfsrilanka.lk for further details.

It is going day of golf at this competition which will be played to the stableford format on this 18 whole golf course.