The best of Sri Lanka’s amateur and professional golfing talent will vie for the title of the country’s champion golfer when the 2018 edition of the RCGC Open tees off in partnership with Altair on 28th August.
The tournament, taking place for only the second time in two decades, was revived last year after a lapse of 18 years, with Altair taking on the mantle of Principal Sponsor.
Welcoming Altair’s decision to reprise its role this year, the Captain of the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) Mr Avancka Herat announced that more than 100 golfers are expected to compete in stroke play format over the four days of the tournament, with the best 30 golfers advancing to the final two days.
“This is the only open golf tournament that is played in Sri Lanka besides the Sri Lanka Open, and we greatly appreciate the generous support of Altair, which led to its revival and continuance,” Mr Herat told media at a press conference at the 139 year old club. “The RCGC is proud to be associated with a truly iconic corporate partner of the calibre of Altair.”
Altair Director Mr Pradeep Moraes said: “We are particularly happy to support this tournament, because it extends an opportunity to a wider segment of players to compete against one-another, contributing to the development of the sport. It is open to the best players regardless of club affiliations and membership.”
“Altair caters to those who seek the finest things in life, and the sport of golf is one of them. Altair is therefore the perfect champion for a tournament of this nature,” Mr Moraes added.
According to the RCGC, top contenders for this year’s Open include Sri Lanka’s veteran golfers such as Mithun Perera, Anura Rohana, K. Prabagaran and defending champion N. Thangaraja, currently ranked no 1 in the tournament.
The winner will be awarded the Altair trophy. Cash wards of over Rs 500,000/= will also be presented to the top 30 golfers of the tournament.
The RCGC Open Golf tournament was inaugurated in 1970 and was open to all golfers, professional as well as amateur. It is a true test of golf with four rounds of stroke play to determine the champion golfer of the tournament for 2018.
The RCGC’s resident professional H.L. Premadasa won the championship in its first three years, after which Sri Lanka’s best golfer to date, Nandasena Perera, won it a record seven times. Club amateurs Pheroze Billimoria and Rusi Captain won it twice and once respectively, while other winners included Jessie Perera and N Thangaraja.
Designed by the global celebrity architect Moshe Safdie, Altair is a one-of-its-kind development in South Asia in terms of architectural design, structural engineering, and living experience. The building, comprising of two tower blocks, a 63-storey sloping tower which leans in to a taller, 68-storey vertical tower, has brought a new dimension in aesthetics to Colombo’s skyline.