One hundred and twenty golfers for Oman Air C'ship

S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen Kandy Sports corre.

The beautiful Victoria Golf Course at Rajawella will go gay this Saturday and Sunday (September 11 and 12)when the second version of the Oman Air Open Golf Championship organised by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort and sponsored by Oman Air gets underway with around 120 golfers having a go at the handsome trophy and the prizes which are on offer.

According to the organisers around 120 golfers have entered this prestigious tournament and among them are 37 golfers from the foreign climes and the local golfers making the rest of the team. Victoria region has been not receiving any rain this week though overcast conditions prevailed in the evenings, an indication it has been raining elsewhere. The golf course is in best possible condition and looks a billiard top and it looks as if it had been given a green paint.

Golf wise it is challenging and the golfers should enjoy it and it has been made exciting too said the Australian born General Manager Errol Johnston himself a top golfer and his performance has seen his handicap being scaled down.

The Course Manager Maheel Bulumulla has done a good job in trimming the luxuriant growth of grass with the assistance of the support staff and the conditions has been made to suit the big occasion.

The defending champion Noel Joseph who won the inaugural Stableford championship said that he will be there to defend the title which he won last year but he will receive stiff competition from top golfers like Englishman Ian Tait who is in fine fettle along with Sujeewa Lankatillake and the others who could excel are Sam Gunaratne, Chamil Wickremasinghe, Mangala Niyarapola, Sunil Jayakoddy, Nimal Wettimuny, Sidath Wettimuny, Kandy SC's rugby coach Yohan Taylor, N. U. G. de Silva, Majeed Awn, Richel Hameed, Suren Wass, Errol Johnston, Thejan de Silva, Pristh Fernando, Sirath Kasthuriratne, T. Hannson, Desmond Haynes, Anura Dantaranayana and many others.

The event for ladies should see a titanic struggle between the versatile Suwen Selvaratnam, Niloo Jayatillake, Roshni Sangani, Manori Jayakoddy, teenager Maleena Awn, Yvonne Abhayaratne, Indira Tibblin, Sonia Boyle, Jyoti Haynes, Lillian Perera, Linda Harris, Pauline Morley and many others.

Suwen Selvaratnam is in toping form and so is Manori Jayakoddy, Roshni Sangani and Niloo Jayatillake but out to outsmart them will be Ladies College schoolgirl Maleena Awn and another versatile golfer Yvonne Abhayaratne who will be making her appearance after a brief absence at Victoria. The Match Committee will be made up of the President of the Sri Lanka Golf Union Lalith Ramanayke, Ian Tait and Tony Witham.

The presentation of awards will take place on the second day (Sunday) at 2 p.m. at the Araliya Restaurant.

This championship will be a stableford one played over 36 holes for two days and the golfer returning the best Not aggregate on the two rounds will be the winner of the Oman Air Open Golf championship.

In addition to this will be also a Cocktails in the Reception area of the club house ont he first day at 7.30 p.m. and followed by dance.

Thus a very big show is in store for the golfers by courtesy Oman Air.