Golfing Eden

The SriLankan Airlines Golf Classic

Sri Lanka may still be in its infancy as a world-class golf destination but there’s no denying the support the Royal and Ancient game is getting from the country’s national carrier, SriLankan Airlines.

The airline has put its weight behind promoting the nation’s golf options, most visibly through its annual staging of the SriLankan Airlines Golf Classic, which has become one of the best-loved amateur events in south Asia.

The 14th installment of the tournament took place at the stunning Victoria Golf and Country Resort in Digana, Kandy, from 23-27 October and proved to be another memorable outing for a brand that is attracting increased participation from golf lovers around the world.

On this occasion, over 170 amateur golfers from 15 nations across the globe flew into Sri Lanka especially for the four-day event.

This year’s tournament attracted golfers from the US, Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Malaysia, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, China, India, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Dubai, Pakistan and Italy.

The international contingent was joined by over 50 Sri Lankan golfers, taking the total number of participants to around 220 players.

The tournament was played on two consecutive days by each player and points were allocated for a player’s gross and net stableford scores over their two rounds.

The overall winners of this year’s tournament were R Subramaniyam Sashi Humar of Malaysia who won in the men’s category with a score of 64 and Qin Ami who triumphed in the ladies’ category with a total of 50 points.

"As the flag carrier, SriLankan Airlines has been actively promoting sports tourism to attract holiday-makers to the country," said Sri Lankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena. "We are encouraged to enhance and make the Golf Classic grow, as it is drawing a lot of interest from golfers all over the world, who are always looking out for new challenging courses."