Altair sponsors RCGC Open Golf tournament for 2nd successive year

By Divya Thotawatte

Royal Colombo Golf Club has teamed up with Altair to host the RCGC Open Golf tournament for the second consecutive year.

The best of Sri Lanka’s amateur and professional golfing talent will vie for the title of the country’s champion golfer when the 2018 edition of the RCGC Open tournament commences on 28 August.

The tournament, taking place for only the second time in two decades, was revived last year after a lapse of 18 years, with Altair taking on the mantle of Principal Sponsor.

Welcoming Altair’s decision to reprise its role this year, RCGC General Manager Nalin Jayatileka stated: “Last year, we had over 75 professional golfers taking on the course and this year, we can see that the enthusiasm is such that we have received over 100 entries for the tournament.” 

The Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) Captain Avancka Herat announced that more than 100 golfers are expected to compete in stroke play format over the four days of the tournament, with the best 30 golfers advancing to the final two days.

Altair Director Pradeep Moraes said: “We are particularly happy to support this tournament because it opens up participation in all segments of the golfing fraternity and extends an opportunity to a wider segment of players to compete against one another, contributing to the development of the sport. This tournament truly lives up to the claim that sport is the greatest equaliser.  It is open to the best players regardless of club affiliations and membership.” According to the RCGC, top contenders for this year’s Open include Sri Lanka’s veteran golfers such as Mithun Perera, Anura Rohana, K. Prabagaran, and defending champion N. Thangaraja, currently ranked number one in the tournament.

The winner will be awarded the Altair trophy. Cash awards of over Rs. 500,000 will also be presented to the top 30 golfers of the tournament.

The RCGC Open Golf tournament was inaugurated in 1970 and was open to all golfers, professional as well as amateur.  It is a true test of golf with four rounds of stroke play to determine the champion golfer of the tournament for 2018. 

The RCGC’s resident professional H.L. Premadasa won the championship in its first three years, after which Sri Lanka’s best golfer to date, Nandasena Perera, won it a record seven times. Club amateurs Pheroze Billimoria and Rusi Captain won it twice and once respectively, while other winners included Jessie Perera and N. Thangaraja