Niloo takes
handsome Hyundai golf classic
Niloo Jayatilleke called the shots
and turned star player at the Hyundai Golf for Charity
tournament at the Royal Colombo arranged and presented
by the Ladies Section of the Royal Colombo. It was an
outstanding success and much credit to the new team
of hand picked members who are progressing very effectively.
Anouk Chitty a former champion staging a comeback to
the game was striking the ball well. She came 2nd.
Lower division
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Earl Samarasinghe |
Good looking Sandra Ramanayake once
again struck the limelight. Playing excellent golf she
amassed a classy winning total of 37 points to smile
all evening at the Award ceremony. She won the “B”
Trophy from J.S. Kim Choo who was on 35 points. Lalinda
Mui Dharmaratne a spritely bright kid in her early teens
not only won the “C” Division and the 6
hidden holes contest but also the plum award of overall
winner of the day’s play. She received much deserving
applause for a day of great creditable golf. S.H. Chong
had a good round to collect 40 points and be placed
2nd in the
‘C’ Category
Roshini Sangani was a given a Ladle
for messing around merrily. The Ladies have formed a
great formidable team. Individually and collectively
they have produced the goods and there is much promise
of further success under their stewardship.
The Stableford Tournament was great
and when it came to the award ceremony, Cocktails &
Buffet Dinner one witnessed classy arrangements seldom
seen at the Royal Colombo. The décor and table
arrangements by Anne Captain were delightful and Suni
Nirmalingam compered the programme smartly, effectively
and with an easy flow. Manouri Jayakody was meeting
and greeting members and guests in her attempt to make
them comfortable.
Heinz Reuter was over the full moon
over the outstanding presentation and he was not hesitant
to tell a captive audience how pleased he was and how
thankful he was to those who put together an excellent
evening. Ahn Gil-Won a visiting Korean Minister who
was a special guest was greatly impressed and loaded
with praise for those who helped in the success of the
Hyundai Tournament. The hospitality was intoxicating
and the Buffet Dinner under the supervision of the Ladies
pretty good.
Earle Samarasinghe’s unique
and unmatchable record at Ridgeways
Earle Samarasinghe will be the first
to admit that he is no brilliant golfer. He will also
admit that he never was a highly competitive golfer.
He loves the game and plays for pleasure, exercise and
the opportunity to meet and greet friends who share
his passion for the game. Accidentally or not he has
been identified as a Hole-in-One specialist and his
record which I shall relate now is absolutely phenomenal
On the 4th of September he registered
his 17th Hole-in-One at the Royal Colombo Golf Club
playing in the company of Dr.Tony Gabriel & S.S.
Jayawickrema. I will now attempt to put together his
record from the documentary evidence I have before me.
I’ve written a couple of times before about his
achievements and this time I plan to be more comprehensive
His first achievement was in 1987
soon after his return to Sri Lanka after a 26 year stint
for the United Nations. This was followed by 2 more
in 1997. In the year 2005 this amazing sequence of stunning
achievements followed with 8 Holes-in-One in that Calendar
year. This success continued into 2006 when his achievement
on the 4th September pushed him into a total of 17 in
his career. Absolutely stunning, absolutely unique and
most certainly unmatchable.
In the old days the feat was promptly
identified and acknowledged by the Club. A congratulatory
letter was sent accompanied by a Bottle of Scotch invariably
offered by the Agents of the brand. Earle Samarasinghe
laments that he wrote to the Club and has had no response
and what is absolutely tragic is that the Book that
records these hiostorical achievements has gone missing.
Congrats Earle – your record is absolutely outstanding.
How do you do it? And a wag responded “just bloody
lucky and a fluke specialist”
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