Sri Lanka’s second professional golf open

By S.R. Pathiravithana

If monotony creeps into your day-to-day life, our daily deeds can seem like drudgery. Yet, if you are bold enough to first dream and think and then challenge the status quo, the chances are more that you will end up a winner.

Chandana Weerasinghe, though a bit slight in stature, is imposing and goes about his business with real conviction. He knows he is on to a winner in brining the professional golf circuit into Sri Lanka and is not afraid to say that the Lankan pro-golf circuit will reach the standard of upper Asian professional tournaments like the Singapore and the Malaysian Opens within the next five years.Chandana took to golf about a decade ago, but at the beginning he was not quite confident. But, as his game began grow, he not only became a serious golfer, but also began to dream of taking the game towards a path it had not tread before.

Last year it was Standard Charted Bank that came up with the sponsorship and, much to the surprise of the entire circuit, the cup stayed at home, when Mithun Perera beat the more fancied lot of mainly Indian golfers.

This year the tournament is called the SLPA Open with the main sponsorship coming from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority along with Dialog as the other main sponsor. The tournament will be held from April 16-19 at the Ridgeways.

Chandana says this year’s tournament will offer a purse of US$ 70,000. However, according to him to lure the big fish in the Asian pond the Lankan Open will have to offer a sum of at least US$. 300,000.

For this year’s tournament, professional golfers will converge at the RCGC course from India, Nepal, Malaysia, South Africa, the United States and Singapore. Right now there are around 130 entries for this tournament, but they will entertain only one hundred entries.
Besides the professional tournament, the organisers have extended invitations to six top amateurs on the Sri Lanka circuit so that they can sharpen their skills by performing with some of the best in the Indian sub-continent.

Chandana, a man who seems to have a lot of faith in the success in this venture, professed, “You cannot build a castle in one day. Last year we ran into a three million rupee loss, in spite of the tournament being a success on the surface. In an effort of this nature, you have to get the backing of the sponsors to make it a total success. With this year’s show I feel it is picking up. I am sure this tournament will keep growing stronger by the year and that it will be a boon to the country in many more ways than just another sports event.”
The SLPA Open, which is run in collaboration with the PGTI, will be broadcast on the global Star TV network.

The Professional Golf Tour of India is all set to stage the inaugural Sri Lanka Ports Authority Open at the Royal Colombo Golf Club in Colombo from April 16-19, 2013. The tournament will witness top professional golfers from India, Sri Lanka and other countries contest for a total prize purse of US$70,000 event (LKR 9,000,000.00).

The top professionals participating in the event include the likes of Shiv Kapur, Anirban Lahiri, Himmat Singh Rai and Chiragh Kumar along with local golfing stars and prominent PGTI members – Mithun Perera and Anura Rohana. The field will also feature a few local amateurs.

Title sponsor Sri Lanka Ports Authority, already a keen supporter of golf in Sri Lanka, sees this event and its subsequent development over the next few years as a natural progression in raising the sport’s profile in the country. Dr. Priyath Wickrema, Chairman, Sri Lanka Ports Authority said “Sri Lanka Ports Authority is proud to be associated with the season’s first professional golf tournament in Sri Lanka. We have been supporting various sporting activities and are very keen to take the lead to promote the growth of golf and this is a great start to have these world class professional golfers coming to Sri Lanka. With a history spanning over 34 years in Sri Lanka supporting more than 14 sporting disciplines, we are definitely proud that Royal Colombo Golf Club, has been given the opportunity to host such a prestigious tournament creating history in Sri Lanka”.

Present on the occasion, Capt. Nihal Keppetipola, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, added, “The staging of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Open has served the purpose of popularizing golf in Sri Lanka very well. Golf is the most popular game among the maritime fraternity. The main event will be followed by a Pro-Am which will be hosted by SLPA, Dialog, BTL Shipping and other sponsors which will ensure the participation of many high-profile golfing personalities who will be flying down to Sri Lanka to take part in this tournament. I’m sure we will all enjoy the contest and amateur golfers will be benefited most seeing these professional players in action and by playing with them.”

Integral to the success of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Open 2013 is the support given by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau in facilitating key functional aspects of the event and providing a range of marketing and promotional channels to platform the tournament’s exposure and profile. Golf is a major tourism driver throughout the world and The Bureau is looking to support golf in Sri Lanka as part of its tourism brief for the country.

“Golf tourism is a significant element in many countries’ visitor profile. As The Ministry of Tourism, we are delighted to see new initiatives such as The Sri Lanka Ports Authority Open 2013 and are keen to provide our support to the event not only to establish Sri Lanka on the world’s sporting map as a quality golfing destination but also to project the country’s many positive benefits and unique features to a wider audience”, said Mr. Rumy Jauffer, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.

Mr. Jeremy Huxtable, Chief Officer for Dialog Enterprise, sharing his thoughts on the tournament and golf at large said, “Dialog Enterprise has stepped forward as the Gold Sponsor for the SLPA Open 2013 tournament as well as the amateur qualifying rounds based on the firm belief that the support of strong corporate who will be integral in driving any sport in this country by providing much needed support to players as well as the governing bodies for any given sport. This formula of engagement with a sport has proved to be successful to Dialog when it comes to Football, Rugby and to a certain extent Cricket in this country. The engagement with golf in powering not just the occasional tournament, but the rising stars of Sri Lankan golf like Mithun Perera, who is incidentally the number 1 player in Sri Lanka, that are currently on the professional circuit is a reiteration of that belief and engagement Dialog has with sports in general.”

The venue chosen to host the tournament, The Royal Colombo Golf Club – established in 1880 and the oldest golf club in Sri Lanka – is a true golfing challenge. The par 71 course measures 6,560 yards through a varied ‘landscape’ of fairways, trees and water bodies. “The Royal Colombo Golf Club is very proud to host The Sri Lanka Ports Authority Open 2013 and to support golf in Sri Lanka as it takes its rightful place in the professional tour ranks. I am sure all the players and officials will receive a wonderful welcome and really enjoy the RCGC experience. We look forward to a successful tournament and are confident of it becoming a well established event on Sri Lanka’s sporting calendar”, said Mr. Nimal Piyaratne, Captain, Royal Colombo Golf Club.

Mr. Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, expressed his gratitude to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority for its support to professional golf. Mr. Sandhu said, “We are delighted to stage the inaugural Sri Lanka Ports Authority Open in partnership with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. This new addition to our schedule offers our members yet another opportunity to play outside India. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority Open will further contribute in positioning the PGTI as the premier professional tour of the South Asian region. We wish the players all the best and thank the sponsors, the promoters and the Royal Colombo Golf Club for supporting us in staging this event.”

“We are delighted to see our commitment and interest coming into reality and organizing the country’s second professional golf event. The staging of such international events is an essential element in any country’s golfing development and we are very pleased to be able to play our part in raising the profile of the sport in Sri Lanka. The real credit and thanks should go to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, The Ministry of Tourism, Dialog Enterprise and The Royal Colombo Golf Club for their key support to the event and all other co-sponsors, also to the players – we are fortunate in having good relationships with many of the players and they have been really supportive of our initiative in committing to the tournament and helping to create such a strong field, said Mr. Chandana Weerasinghe (Pro Golf) and Mr. Neeraj Sareen (Sports Mantra).

Major professional tour golf is set to make its debut in Sri Lanka in August when over 100 top golf professionals tee off at The Royal Colombo Golf Club at The Standard Chartered Open 2012, an event sanctioned by The Professional Golf Tour of India (the “PGTI”) as part of its 2012 schedule.

The four day tournament, scheduled for 15 to 18 August, will feature a strong field with leading Indian players – Shiv Kapur, Anirban Lahiri, Himmat Rai, Chiragh Kumar and Digvijay Singh – as well as local golfing stars and prominent PGTI members – Mithun Perera and Anura Rohana – all committed starters in the battle for the prize money on offer USD 50,000.00 (Rs. 6,500,000.00). Local amateur golfers, including six members of the Sri Lankan National Golf Team will tee off in the tournament alongside the professionals.
Title sponsor Standard Chartered, already a supporter golf in Sri Lanka, sees this event and its subsequent development over the next two to three years as a natural progression in raising the sport’s profile in the country. Standard Chartered CEO Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar said, “Standard Chartered is proud to be associated with first ever professional golf tournament in Sri Lanka and towards the growth of the game. We have been supporting the game and keen to take the lead to grow the sport and this is a great start to have these world class professional golfers coming to Sri Lanka. With a history spanning over 150 yes in Sri Lanka we are definitely proud that Royal Colombo Golf Club, has been given the opportunity to host such a prestigious tournament creating a history in Sri Lanka.”

Integral to the success of The Standard Chartered Open 2012 is the support given by The Ministry of Tourism in facilitating key functional aspects of the event and providing a range of marketing and promotional channels to platform the tournament’s exposure and profile. Golf is a major tourism driver throughout the world and The Ministry is looking to support golf in Sri Lanka as part of its tourism brief for the country.
“Golf tourism is a significant element in many countries’ visitor profile. As The Ministry of Tourism, we are delighted to see new initiatives such as The Standard Chartered Open 2012 and are keen to provide our support to the event not only to establish Sri Lanka on the world’s sporting map as a quality golfing destination but also to project the country’s many positive benefits and unique features to a wider audience,” said Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Managing Director Rumy Jauffer.
Sri Lankan sporting legend and international cricket captain, Mahela Jayawardene, is also a keen supporter of the new event and will enjoy his other great sporting love when he and other members of the Sri Lankan cricketing fraternity take part in the pre tournament Pro-Am Competition on 14 August. The tournament will also provide an opportunity for Jayawardene to host a Charity Auction in which a wide range of sporting items from signed memorabilia to a pair of tickets for The 2012 Ryder Cup will go ‘under the hammer’ in aid of his charity to develop youth cricket and golf in Sri Lanka.
The venue chosen to host the tournament, The Royal Colombo Golf Club, is the most prestigious Golf club in the country and a true golfing challenge – established in 1880 and the oldest golf club in Sri Lanka, the par 71 course measures 6,560 yards through a varied ‘landscape’ of fairways, trees and water bodies. “The Royal Colombo Golf Club is very proud to host The Standard Chartered Open 2012 and to support golf in Sri Lanka as it takes its rightful place in the professional tour ranks. I am sure all the players and officials will receive a wonderful welcome and really enjoy the RCGC experience. We look forward to a successful tournament and it becoming a well established event on Sri Lanka’s sporting calendar,” said Royal Colombo Golf Club Captain Priath Fernando.

PGTI Director Padamjit Sandhu said, “We are delighted to announce our first event in Sri Lanka under the PGTI calendar. The Standard Chartered Open in Sri Lanka will help generate tremendous interest in the country and help grow the sport. We are confident the event will strengthen golfing ties between India and Sri Lanka and we thank the sponsors, the promoters and the club in staging the event with PGTI.”
“We are delighted to bring the first major international professional golf tour event to Sri Lanka – the staging of such international events is an essential element in any country’s golfing development and we are very pleased to be able to play our part in raising the profile of the sport in Sri Lanka. The real credit and thanks should go to Standard Chartered, The Ministry of Tourism, The Royal Colombo Golf Club and Sri Lanka Golf Union for their key support to the event; also to the players – we are fortunate in having good relationships with many of the players and they have been really supportive of our initiative in committing to the tournament and helping to create such a strong ‘first year’ field,” said Chandana Weerasinghe (Pro Golf) and Neeraj Sareen (Sports Mantra India).
In addition to the Pro-Am and the Charity Auction, the promoters are planning other activities around the tournament as further contributions to the development of golf in Sri Lanka – golf clinics from tournament professionals for a range of junior and senior golfers, a wide range of opportunities for interaction between tournament professionals and officials and the local media as a means of expanding the local golfing knowledge base and the involvement of a number of local volunteers in the event’s organisation.