Over 90 golfers for Donald Steel Trophy

S. M. Jiffrey ABDEEN, Kandy Sports Correspondent

GOLF: Over 90 golfers from 12 countries are expected to participate in the prestigious Donald Steel golf championship for 2007 organised by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort which is scheduled to be worked off at the picturesque Victoria Golf course in Rajawella off Kandy on February 10th and 11th said the General Manager of the Victoria Golf and Country Resort Mike Varney.

He made these observations at a media briefing organised by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort at its club premises in connection with the forthcoming Donald Steel trophy golf championships.

General Manager Mike Varney said some of the top golfers from Canada, Middle Eastern countries, Singapore, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland and other European countries are expected to participate.

This golf championship is growing to be ever popular and was the first one to be held when the course was opened in 1999. Since then the Victoria golf course has grown in stature and has been voted the best golf course in the South Asian region and in also among the best 100 golf courses in the world.

Mike Varney said the name behind the tournament is Donald Steel and he presented this trophy to Victoria Golf and Country Resort and inaugurated the first Donald Steel Trophy in 1999 which was won by Chamath Kulasinghe.

Mike Varney said Donald Steel is one of the best golf course architects that the British Isles has produced - right up there with Dr. Alaistar Mackensie and Harry Colt etc - Mackonzie was the designer along with the great amateur golfer Bobby Jones of Augusta National - the home of the Masters Tournament.

Steel will be regarded as a major influence on golf course design just like Mackenzie and Colt as his ability to blend a course to the landscape enhances, rather than ruins, the landscape the golf course sits upon. Victoria golf course is the perfect example of this skill.

Romesh Abhayaratne is the current holder of the Donald Steel Trophy and running concurrently in the Ebert's Pot for the Best Net score over 36 holes.

This was presented by Martin Ebert, who was associated with Donald Steel in the construction of the Victoria golf course. The present holder of the Eberts Pot is Ian Nalder all the way from the United Kingdom.

Apart from those two trophies there will be a competition for Ladies for the best gross score for the Pam Fernando Cup and the current champion is Thuhashini Selvaratnam from Arizona in the United States. Victoria Bowl is presented for the Best Net score and the defending champion here is Suwen Selvaratnam.

The Earl's Regency is offering accommodation for the golfers at special rates while SriLankan Airlines Air Tax will be also in operation during the championship which will ferry the golfers in just 30 minutes from the city of Colombo to Victoria.

These Air Taxis could be boarded at Katunayake and Ratmalana. Mike Varney concluded by stating that part of the proceeds of the dinner to be held at the Earls Regency will be donated towards the community development project of the village of Hithulamada which borders the golf course.

The entries are now open and the booking online is through the Club's website www.golfsrilanka.com/dst2007, or by Fax 0812376369. Further e'mail inquiries or details could be had from General Manager on Victoria golf.