DIMO announces Mercedes Trophy Sri Lanka National Finals

From left RCGC Vice Captain Navin De Silva, RCGC Captain Shiran Fernando, DIMO Chairman & Managing Director Ranjith Pandithage, Group Chief Executive Officer Gahanath Pandithage, General Manager Mercedes-Benz Cluster General Manager Rajeev Pandithage and Chief Marketing Officer - Pic by Ruwan Walpola

By Monish Wijemanne

Mercedes Trophy National Final of Sri Lanka, the most luxurious golfing event of the country, is back after a successful tournament in the year 2018, which took place in Nuwara Eliya, an event which is exclusive to owners of the luxurious Mercedes-Benz vehicles. 

Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) the coveted hosts of the Mercedes Trophy National Final has decided to host the 2019 edition at the Royal Golf Club Colombo for a number of special reasons.

One being that the company is celebrating its 80thanniversary this year, and felt that there was no better place than the Royal Golf Club Colombo, where the first ever tournament took place, to be used to celebrate this milestone. Another is this year marks the 30thanniversary of the Global Final Tournament. The winners of past tournaments are allowed to participate in this year’s event, despite the usual rule of 4 year layoff due to the aforementioned special circumstances.

The 2019 edition of Mercedes Trophy National Final Sri Lankatournament is to be held on 6 July at the Royal Colombo Golf Club, and it is open for all Mercedes-Benz owners. Here, golfing enthusiasts from across Sri Lanka will go head-to-head as they take on the green to be crowned the national winner. The golfers will be divided into four main handicap divisions: Handicap Group A (0-12), Handicap Group B (13-20), Handicap Group C (21-24) and Handicap Group D (00-36) – the ladies division. The lucky winners will represent Sri Lanka in this year’s edition of the MercedesTrophy Asian Final in Australia.

The top player from each of the 9 participating countries in the MercedesTrophy Asian Final will represent team Asia as they tee off against other ace amateur players from across the world at the MercedesTrophy World Final, to be held from 30 September to 5 October at the Stuttgart Marriott Hotel Sindelfingen. Since the MercedesTrophy celebrates 30 years this year, Mercedes-Benz Global has lifted the alternate year ban for the Asian Final as well as the lifetime ban to the World Final. This fantastic opportunity is open exclusively for Mercedes-Benz Customers of DIMO.

This year’s tournament returns to the capital city of Colombo, having taken golfers to exotic locations across the country in previous years, including Nuwara Eliya, Hambantota and Trincomalee.

Royal Colombo Golf Club Captain Shiran Fernando expressed his joy in having the opportunity to partner with DIMO in hosting the Mercedes Trophy National Final Sri Lanka and thankedDIMO Chairman Ranjith Pandithage for his guidance and leadership in organising this event.

DIMO Group Chief Executive Officer Gahanath Pandithage talked about the excellence of service which DIMO as a company is capable of offering as Sri Lankan technicians at DIMO undergoes a certified training program of Mercedes-Benz thus making their skills equivalent to technicians who work at Mercedes-Benz in Germany.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce the arrival of this year’s edition of Mercedes Trophy National Final Sri Lanka 2019. This highly-anticipated tournament has built a reputation for being the most prestigious in the country due to its exclusive nature, excellent organisation, challenging courses and outstanding prizes. We are excited to welcome the golfing fraternity and give them a platform to indulge in some friendly rivalry while celebrating the sport and its connection to the Mercedes-Benz brand,” stated DIMO General Manager (Mercedes-Benz) Rajeev Pandithage.