Over 100 pros in action at RCGC

Richard Dwight

The 133 year old Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) steeped in history and tradition, is considered to be one of the oldest clubs in the world.

Its pleasant ambience within the club pavilion and complemented by the many large trees with its foliage and expansive sprawling greens - has hitherto afforded members opportunities to participate in amateur golf competitions, whilst others indulge in golf for leisure and relaxation. There have also been ad-hoc visitors from other countries taking part in our local golf tournaments from time to time.

All this did to an extent enable Sri Lanka to be regarded as a golfing nation in the eyes of the world. To remain satisfied with this, wouldn't mean progress and so to enhance its reputation further as a golfing nation in the world of golf. Sri Lanka Golf has taken a major step, when it will for the first time in the life of golf here, will hold professional golf tournament from the 15-18 August at the RCGC.

There will be around 100 professional golfers, vying for championship honours from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Australian citizen living in India and Sri Lanka. Professionals, Mithun Perera and Anura Rohana of Sri Lanka, has done much to popularize professional golf and put Sri Lanka on the golfing map of the world. The Sri Lanka cricket captain Mahela Jayawardene is also playing and perhaps will lend a helping hand as well.

This therefore is the opportune moment for a professional golf tournament of this nature in Sri Lanka. Much is being done to make the stay of the 85 visitors as comfortable as possible, so as to make it an annual event.

To reiterate what was stated earlier this professional golf tournament will begin on August 15 and conclude on Saturday, August 18. It will be conducted on the stroke play format, with play commencing each day at 6.00 am and ending at 5.00 pm.

Prize money will be made to the top fifty players. The main sponsor for this tournament is Standards Chartered Bank, whilst the co-sponsors are Dialog, Taj Samudra, Canon Metropolitan Group and Durdan's Hospital since both golf and tourism is complementary to each other, it is therefore well supported by Sri Lanka 'Tourism Promotion Bureau' and 'Ten Sport' in the cause of tourism will assist to put Sri Lanka in the international golfing calendar on the map.

These details of an innovative prestigious event, was revealed to the members of the media recently by the Managing Director, Pro Golf (Pvt) Ltd, Chandana Weerasinghe, who is also a member of RCGC, Managing Director Sports Mantra' India (Pvt) Ltd, Neeraj Sareen and Pankaj Kumar, Manager Golf Operations, Sports Mantra India Pvt Ltd. Broadening out, Neeraj Sareen, said that he is a promoter of golf around the world such as India, Russia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, the purpose being to show case to the world that Sri Lanka is a golfing destination.