Great golf, good fun and ‘Probably The Best Golf Tournament’ came to a fitting finale with the staging of the 2019 Carlsberg Golf Classic National Finals at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club on November 1.
The National Finals was the culmination of a hugely successful 26th edition of the country’s most popular amateur golf series, which saw more than 3,700 avid golfers taking part at 36 legs nationwide.
“We are certainly proud that the Carlsberg Golf Classic is the country’s biggest and longest-running amateur golf tournament and that this year’s 26th edition was a huge success with great fun on and off the course. While I am relatively new to golf, I am truly impressed by the participants’ passion for the game and their support of the golfing industry,” said Carlsberg Malaysia’s managing director, Stefano Clini, during the prize presentation lunch.
As one of the hallmarks of the Carlsberg Golf Classic, the National Finals was much more than just a golf tournament. It was also a golf industry gathering with invited players comprising sponsors, golf club managers and other stakeholders joining the gross and nett winners of each leg for a competitive yet fun day of golf.
Fun was indeed the keyword at the National Finals, as Carlsberg pulled out all stops to ensure that everyone had a great time regardless of their score. Living up to the event’s promise to deliver ‘Probably The Best Golf Experience’, players enjoyed Carlsberg Smooth Draught and savoured the fruity and sparkling variants of Somersby cider while negotiating the fairways.
Numerous novelty contests added to the merriment, highlighted by the ‘Beat The Pro’ challenge at the 18th hole where participants took on local tour star Keegan Kam off the tees and the quirky ‘Nearest The Bottle’ contest at Hole 8, as well as ‘Sure-To-Win Hole-In-One’ and ‘Longest Drive’ contests. There was also a roving ‘Loudest POP’ contest, where flights were invited to POP their Carlsberg Smooth Draught caps simultaneously to see who had the highest sound decibel to win even more merchandise.
Raring to go … finalists and invitees in high spirits before tee-off
As golfers waited to tee-off at the long par-three sixth hole, masseurs helped them limber up and relax with quick shoulder and upper body massages.
The serious side of the National Finals saw Jung Young Guk, a 52-year-old Korean national living in Kuala Lumpur, emerge as the 2019 gross champion. The one-handicap golfer carded a gross score of 73, which was highly impressive considering that the tees were pushed back and that Kota Permai’s tricky greens were rolling at 11.5 on the Stimpmeter. For his remarkable effort, Jung walked away with a Titoni Airmaster watch.
“Over my four years in Malaysia, I have participated twice in the Carlsberg Golf Classic and made it to the finals. But this year I am overwhelmed at winning the gross champion title,” said Jung, who qualified for the National Finals via the qualifying round at Templer Park Country Club in Rawang, Selangor.
There’s good reason why the Carlsberg Golf Classic is dubbed ‘Probably The Best Golf Tournament’!
The nett title meanwhile went to 43-year-old Patrick Lim Lay Seng, a three-time participant who qualified from the Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club qualifying round. Playing off a handicap of 15, the businessman signed in a nett score of 68 to triumph. All scores were capped to a maximum of four-under-par following the Carlsberg Golf Classic rules, with any ties settled on countback.
“The game was well-organised and went smoothly, as smooth as the Carlsberg Smooth Draught! What we liked about the tournament is that there were many activities and freebies at the prize presentation ceremony. Overall, I had a lot of fun,” said Lim, who also took home a Titoni Airmaster watch.
Despite the quality of the field which represented the best of Malaysian club golfers, there were no aces scored during the National Finals. The hole-in-one prizes of a Mercedes-Benz A200 AMG, Mercedes-Benz E200 Avantgarde, Titoni Master Series watch and Ogawa Masterdrive 4D Thermo Care massage chair thus went unclaimed.
Those who did not play that well on the day still had a chance to win something through the 20-plus lucky draw prizes, given out at the end of the fun-filled prize presentation lunch. These included the grand prize of a Titoni Airliner watch, along with stays at The Saujana Hotel, Ogawa Zen Foottee massagers, Adidas golf merchandise and Mercedes-Benz driving experiences.
Cheers to ‘Probably The Best Experience’!
The 2019 Carlsberg Golf Classic was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, adidas, Titoni, TaylorMade, Mars Whisky, Healthland, Ogawa, Saujana Hotels & Resorts, Sunplay and ParGolf.
Stay tuned for upcoming events and promotions by Carlsberg Malaysia and its portfolio of brews at www.carlsbergmalaysia.com.my or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CarlsbergMY
