Record number of entries for Donald Steel Golf Championship
by S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports Corr.
It is going to be a full house of 125 local and foreign golfers who
will tee off at the 15th Version of the Donald Steel Golf Championship
organised by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort and sponsored by
Etisalat which will be worked off at the award winning and beautiful
Victoria Golf Course at Rajawella off Kandy next Saturday, February 9
with the first tee off at 7 a.m. This is one of the largest number of
entries received for this compeitition since it was started 15 years
with the opening of the Victoria Golf Course for golfers in 1999 and the
world renowned golf architect responsible for the designing of this golf
course in a coconut estate Donald Steel himself doanting the trophy.
Since then this tournament has grown in stature with more events begin
added to it.
The plum of this championship is the Donald Steel trophy which was
won by former national cricketer and national cricket selector Sidath
Wettimuni who repeated his success of 2008 and it one of the main
contenders along with his younger brother Nimal Wettimuni and veteran
Englishman Ian Tait and some of the foreigners could too have a crack at
this trophy. The previous winners of this trophy are: 1999 - Chamath
Kulasinghe, 2000 - David Griffith, 2001 - Martin Ebert, 2002 - Alin Gyi,
2003 - Martin Ebert, 2004 - Martin Ebert, 2005 - Binupa Wijesinghe, 2006
- Romesh Abhayaratne, 2007 - Sujeewa Lankatillake, Sidath Weetimuni,
2009 - Ian Tait, 2010 - Ian Tait, 2008-2011 - Ian Tait, 2012 - Sidath
Wettimuni. At 67 former Cheshire minor county cricketer and ruggerite
Ian Tait is the oldest to win this trophy and is the only golfer to
perform the hat-trick of wins from 2009 to 2011 and Englishman martin
Ebert missed this honour 2005 after winning it in 2003 and 2004.
The youngest to win this trophy is fifteen-year-old Binupa Wijesinghe
who won this prestigious trophy in 2005 before going over to United
States for studies.
The other major trophy offered for ladies is the Pam Fernando Trophy
offered in the name of the greatest lady golfer this country has seen.
Suwen Selvaratnam is the defending champion of the Pam Fernando
Trophy. She has won this trophy six times the highest by any lady
golfer. She was the first winner when it was offered for the first time
in 2000. Since then she has won it in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and in
2012.
That versatile golfer Niloo Jayatillake has won it four times
starting from 2002, 2008, 2010 and 2011. The other winners have been
Anouk Chanmugam (2001), Jacquie Dias (2003), Thushahini Selvaratnam
(2006). The main contest is the Ebert Pot donated by Martin Ebert who
helped in the designing of this golf course. This is offered to the men
golfer with the best net score.
The defending champion is Pelle Kristofferson from Sweden. The other
winners are: Ajith Nishantha (2000), Helmut Suchy (2001), Malik
Ahamedeen (2002), Rohan de Silva (2003), Dr. Alex Perera (2004), Roshan
Dias (2005), Ian Nalder (2006), Andrew Udesh (2007), Charlie Worrel
(2008), Suren Wass (2009), Sacha Roschy (2010), Sam Gunaratne (2011),
Pelle Kristofferson (2012).
Victoria Bowl - a magnificent piece of Waterford Crystal is offered
to the winner of the Ladies Net event. Expatriate Pauline is the
defending champion. The other winenrs in this contest are Sally Collins
(2001), Usha de Silva (2002), Indira Tibblin (2003), Niloo Jayatillake
(2004), Sandie McAndrew (2005), Swen Selvaratnam (2006), Pauline Morley
(2007), Pauline Morley (2008), Roshni Sangani (2009), Roshni Sangani
(2010), Pauline Morley (2011), Pauline Morkey (2012).
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