*Donald Steel Golf Championship on Feb 12:

Victoria opens 2010 golf calendar

By S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Corr.

GOLF: Victoria Golf and Country Resort, the proud owners of the prestigious Victoria Golf Course at Rajawella off Kandy which was adjudged the best golf course in the Sub-Continent in the year 2009, will conducts its first major golf championship for 2010 when the Donald Steel Golf Championship 2010 gets underway on Saturday February 13 at 7 a.m. There will be practices on Friday 12 for the participants.

This competition will be of Stableford format and will be the 12th Edition of the Championship and was the first one to be staged in this beautiful course after it was opened for golfers in 1998.

Donald Steel Trophy being the major trophy on offer and staging along side will be the Eberts Pot for men and for ladies there will be the Pam Fernando trophy and the Victoria Bowl. The Donald Steel trophy will be awarded to the gentlemen golfer recording the best Stableford score in the single round. The Net winner receives the Ebert Pot and for the Ladies the Pam Fernando Trophy is awarded to the best lady golfer's gross score over the 18 holes. The Net winner in the ladies completion will receive the Victoria Bowl.

The name behind the tournament is Donald Steel and he presented the Donald Steel Trophy to Victoria Golf Club (as it was known then) and inaugurated the first Donald Steel Trophy in 1999.

Donald Steel is one of the best golf course architects that British Isles has produced - right up their with Dr. Alasistair Mc Kenzie and Harry Colt etc - Mc Kenzie was the designer, along with the great amateur golfer Bobby Jones of Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament.