UTE-CAT Sri Lanka Open Golf Championship 2012

United Tractors & Equipment (Pvt) Ltd, (UTE), the authorized dealer for Caterpillar Equipment in Sri Lanka extended a full sponsorship for the Sri Lanka Open Golf Championship scheduled to tee-off from 3 to 7 December 2012 at Royal Colombo Golf Club for the second consecutive time.

Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU) is organising the tournament under the patronage of President of the SLGU Ana Punchihewa. Dubbed, ‘UTE-CAT Sri Lanka Open Golf Championship 2012, this prime Open Golf Tournament in the Island, will see professional golfers who have proven their metal in the Asian region and amateurs battling it out to become the Sri Lanka Open Golf Champion.

Sri Lankan Pro-Golfers Anura Rohana and Mithun Perera who challenged each other in a head-to-head final last year, will compete in this year’s tournament as well. Anura Rohana and Mithun have together firmly made their mark on the Indian PG Tour and on the Asian circuit as well. Anura Rohana is the defending champion and will certainly face stiff opposition from Mithun, Prabagaran, Thangaraja the reigning Amateur Champion and several others who will make the 2012 UTE-CAT Sri Lanka Open Golf Championship a memorable tournament.

During this open championship, competitors will vie for several other coveted trophies. Some of these titles are UTE-CAT Challenge Trophy for Amateurs (Men) and Pam Fernando Memorial Trophy for Amateurs (Ladies). UTE Sri Lanka Open Golf Championship will have a qualifying round on 3 December and will be open to RCGC members and non-members with a handicap of 14 and under.

The Amateur Golfer with the best aggregate score over the first two rounds of the main tournament will claim the UTE-CAT Challenge trophy while an amateur lady golfer with the best aggregate score in the first two rounds will be awarded the Pam Fernando Memorial Trophy for Amateurs. Last year, Sanjiv Vairavanthan won the UTE-CAT Challenge trophy while Shayanika Fernando bagged the Pam Fernando Memorial Trophy for Amateurs.

UTE’s former Chairman Pin Fernando was the leading golfer in Sri Lanka during his time while the current Chairman of UTE, Priath Fernando is the Captain of the Royal Colombo Golf Club this year.

UTE-CAT and the family of Pin and Pam Fernando hope to make this Golf Championship an annual feature as part of their corporate calendar and has pledged continuing support to develop local golfing talent. In addition, UTE also sponsors the Pin Fernando Trophy conducted by the Royal Colombo Golf club which is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the club which UTE-CAT has been sponsoring for the past 11 years.

Discussing about the Golf sponsorship, Priath Fernando, Group Chairman, UTE said, “Our company has a very close affiliation with this championship as, the late Pin Fernando who is still regarded as the best amateur golfer from Sri Lanka was a former Chairman of UTE. He was also a former winner of this coveted trophy.” He further stated “UTE has always supported the development of the game of golf in Sri Lanka along with necessary assistance to unearth golfing talent in the country.”

Pam Fernando referred to as the First Lady of golf in Sri Lanka and the wife of Sri Lanka’s golfing legend Pin Fernando, has won the Sri Lanka Ladies’ Amateur title five times. She is in the Guinness Book of records as the oldest lady winner of a national golf title. She has rendered a yeomen service for the upliftment of Ladies and Junior Golf in Sri Lanka.

The Royal Colombo Golf Club ‘Ridgeways’ Golf Course will be buzzing with over 100 entries already received for the UTE-CAT Open 2012 from Monday 3 December to Friday 7 December with the crowning of the new Open Champ.