overall winner Mr. Elias
Abraham, the Managing
Director of APL Lanka [PVT]
Ltd. (top), the 1st runner
up Capt. Nihal Keppetipola,
Managing Director of Sri
Lanka Ports Authority
(bottom right), and the 2nd
runner up Mr. Tissa
Wickramasinghe of John
Keells Holdings PLC (bottom
left) receiving their
trophies from Capt. Lester
Weinman, Chairman of Sri
Lanka Shipping Company
The recent inclement weather
conditions did not dampen
any spirits of the golfers
from the shipping industry
for going ahead and
conducting the 2nd Maritime
Golf Challenge 2009 at the
Royal Colombo Golf Club
course. Twice postponed due
to the poor course
conditions, caused by the
incessant rains, the
“weather-beaten” maritime
and shipping community was
all geared to meet the
challenge.
The second corporate golfing
event of the shipping
community, the Maritime Golf
Challenge 2009, conducted on
a Stableford Format, teed
off on Wednesday the 25th of
November, 2009 at the Royal
Colombo Golf Club (RCGC)
course. The RCGC, the second
oldest golf course outside
the British Isles
inaugurated by the then
Governor of Sri Lanka, Sir
Joseph West Ridgeway in
1896, looked in splendid
condition on this Wednesday
morning, with the ground
staff having done an
excellent job of work to
bring the course back to
near normalcy after the
heavy rains.
The event was sponsored by
Shipping Lines, Shipping
Agents and Ports and
Terminal Operators and a
field of over twenty players
from Sri Lanka , the Indian
Sub Continent and the Middle
East region, participated in
the tournament.
The winner was Mr.Elias
Abraham, the Managing
Director of APL Lanka [PVT]
Ltd., who scored a dynamic
36 points followed very
closely by 1st
runner up Capt. Nihal
Keppetipola, Managing
Director of Sri Lanka Ports
Authority on 35 points, 2nd
runner up Mr. Tissa
Wickramasinghe fo John
Keells Holdings PLC on 34
points.
The tournament attracted an
ardent gathering of the
shipping fraternity into Sri
Lanka which has invested
huge monies on impressive
maritime-related
infrastructure development
projects. The Sri Lanka
Ports Authority (SLPA)
played an anchor role in
this tournament by acting as
a co-sponsor to the event
especially at a time when
the country is on the verge
of an economic renaissance
with the dawn of peace and
when the world economy has
just begun to bounce back in
the aftermath of the global
economic downturn. The
express objective of this
encounter was to develop a
joint effort in building
greater customer loyalty and
to bring more business to
the Port of Colombo which is
now well accepted as the
regional “HUB” Port. The
SLPA realizing the great
opportunity of an emerging
new world order
characterized by a shift of
development to Asia, driving
the global growth was in the
forefront of organizing the
event together with all
other stake holders in the
industry.
The tournament was well
supported by the shipping
industry and places at the
event were very much sought
after by the contenders. The
predominant view of the
tournament organizers was
that there is no better
environment to host
stakeholders in this
industry which has a close
affinity with the game of
golf than a golfing
tournament itself, where
four to five hours of some
sunshine, fresh air and
industry developments can be
shared by all.
The game culminated at the
famous 19th hole.
The winners, all
participants, and the
sponsors were felicitated at
the prize distribution and
dinner, hosted at the
Ridgeways Restaurant at RCGC.
The event being such a
success, the two main
industry watch dogs SLAVO
and CASA have agreed to be
the main organizers in the
coming years, and they
expect the tournament to be
organized on a much bigger
scale with more foreign
participation.
Playing on a Stableford
scoring system, based on
RCGC handicaps limited to a
maximum of 24, the winners
were:-
Winner 36 points /
Elias Abraham
1st Runner Up 35Points /
Nihal Kapettipola
2nd Runner up 34Points /
Tissa Wickremasinghe
· Overall Best Gross
Score - Winner :
Saliya Senanayake
· Straight Drive
Closest to the Line 8th
Fairway - Winner : Nihal
Keppetipola · Wooden
Spoonist
- Winner : P A Virasinghe
· Nearest to the Pin
Hole No: 9 - Winner :
Roy Anthony
· Longest Drive Hole
No: 15
- Winner : Nimal Ranchigoda
· Nearest to the Pin
Hole No: 16 - Winner :
Diresh Palihena
· Best Par 3 Gross
Score
- Winner : Roy Anthony
· Best Par 5 Gross
Score - Fairway wood No: 5
- Winner : Saliya Senanayake
(CRPD 26112009)
