Tuesday Nov 19, 2024
Tuesday Nov 19, 2024
Tuesday, 16 September 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The MercedesTrophy Asian Finals was held for the 24th time in Brisbane, Australia where golf enthusiasts from nine countries teed off for a chance to qualify for the World Finals, soon to be held in Stuttgart, Germany.
The tournament, which ran from 12-15 August, was organised for Mercedes Benz owners.
Maj. Gen. Srinath Rajapakse, Amal Cabraal, Kamalesh Johnpillai, Caesar Fernando, Nimal Perera, Warinda Madanayake, Jagatheeswaran, Anil Amarasuriya, Dr. Lohitha Samarawickrema and Suneetha Selvaratnam were the winners of the MercedesTrophy Country Finals who participated in the Asian Finals representing the country.
Upon arrival, the players were greeted with a welcome dinner at the Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove. The following day was marked with much excitement with practice sessions and much more. The next morning was dedicated to the “Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience” through which the players were introduced to the latest Mercedes-Benz models with novel technological enhancements.
They even had the opportunity of driving these vehicles on a special track under the supervision of experienced AF3 instructors.
“This was my third visit to Brisbane,” said Jegetheeswaran. “I really enjoyed it, particularly the Mercedes driving experience, which was one of the highlights during our stay. This time they also introduced a truck and that was a novel experience.”
The afternoon was spent at a practice session where players had the opportunity to test the course and become acclimatised with the unfamiliar terrain. On 14 August, the opening day of the two-day tournament each of the players were divided into separate teams while on the second day they were again able to compete in one team.
The highest scorer from both days was declared the winner and given the chance to go to Stuttgart to participate in the World Finals. Jegetheeswaran was able to claim the winning prize of the Asian Finals for the second time. Furthermore, Anil Amarasuriya was declared the winner of the Drive to the Major competition and won a fully-sponsored trip to the British Open 2015.
Another highlight of the trip was Sri Lanka being voted as the Most Congenial Team by the other member countries.
“On 14 August we had an exciting night with dinner and drinks with other country teams,” said Caeser Fernando.
“Each country had a small display showcasing their country’s culture and this was where we excelled. We dressed in our traditional costumes, in sarong, and the ladies in saris. We also put on some baila music and got everyone to dance with us. Further, as a special gesture, the Indonesian team gave each of our team members a Songkok, a special hat worn at special occasions.”
All participants said the Asian Finals was meticulously organised. “The courses were very tough especially since they are very different from golf courses in Sri Lanka that we are used to. The courses were much longer as well. But we had a very good time and Mercedes really looked after us,” Amal Cabraal said.
The Country Finals of the MercedesTrophy is organised each year by Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO), the Authorized Distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Sri Lanka, where the only requirement for participation is to be an owner of a Mercedes-Benz. DIMO recently hosted the golfers and their spouses to dinner to appreciate their effort in representing the country at this prestigious tournament.
