Finding the fun element in competitive golfing
After a sizzling start to the competition last week, Team SunMoon and Team Cerebos will be looking to continue their momentum. By Justine Moss
THE second leg of the 2012 Business Times Corporate Golf League teed off on Thursday, Aug 16, at Tanah Merah Country Club’s (TMCC) Garden Course, and after a sizzling start to the competition last week, Team SunMoon and Team Cerebos will be looking to continue their momentum in this year’s competition.
After the first round, which was held at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course, Team SunMoon heads the table with 114 points, one ahead of Team Cerebos. In third place with 111 points is Bank of Singapore (OCBC), two ahead of The Seagulls (Seagull Marine). Harry Elias Partnership and Team Rajah & Tann are tied in fifth place with 103.
The championship Garden layout venue of international events such as the HSBC Women’s Champions and the recent Queen Sirikit Cup will be a challenge for competitors, says Kok Min Yee, acting general manager at TMCC. The Garden Course is generally long and provides a good challenge for all levels of golfers. Golfers
would also find that they will need every club in their bag to turn in a good round. Finding the fairways may not be the only challenge, as golfers may find themselves having to negotiate tricky side hill lies as the Garden fairways are also fairly undulating. “The Garden Course does not officially have a signature hole; however, if we had to choose one, the par-3 third could easily fit the bill. The large beautiful island green is not hard to hit, with golfers needing only a short-to-mid iron. With its size and tricky pin positions, one may find putting the challenge instead if their ball is in the wrong quadrant of the green. If a stiff headwind blows and the pin is in front, golfers beware as choosing the right club may prove tricky to avoid a watery grave.”
The essence of networking and friendship
Team Cerebos, which have participated both as a team and sponsor since the inaugural Business Times Corporate Golf League in 2010, has fielded a team which is, on the whole, similar to last year’s. “While our team members do have a competitive streak, we are realistic in our expectations,” says Cerebos vice-president of group corporate affairs & investor relations Daniel Quek. “Considering the team consists of people with heavy job responsibilities and very limited golfing time, we simply aim to do better than our 18th position last year.
“We have been depending on our more consistent players to anchor the team and keep our scoring steady. So we’ll be doing the same this year.”
The decision to be involved for the third year running was not difficult to make. “We have supported this idea for a corporate golf league since its inception by Business Times three years ago because we believed there would be a variety of benefits,” explains Mr Quek.
“Over the past two years we have observed that the Business Times Corporate Golf League provided teambuilding opportunities for our staff and key business partners. It also allowed us to forge new friendships and network with people from other well-run companies. As an employer, we see the good qualities that golf promotes - commitment and focus, carried into the work environment. While there is a competitive element in the league, overall, the camaraderie, inclusiveness and teamwork are what makes it worthwhile.”
Team members include Eiji Koike (handicap 14.5), Ramlee Bin Buang (24.4), Daniel Quek (17.6), Thresa Tang (36.1), Hideki Matsubayashi (13), Ven Sreenivasan (9), Kevin Scully (20.2), Amos Ng (17.5), Jimmy Neo (15.5), Salma Khalik (25.9), Ong Chee Beng (16.3) and Henry Wu (12.4).
Mr Quek points out that while there is no secret weapon in the team, there is a weapon of choice which each team member indulges in before they play. “Our weapon of choice is BRAND’S Essence of Chicken and each team player downs a bottle before each round. We like to think this was one reason that saw our flying start in round one of the League, where our team managed second position, the highest we have ever placed in the history
of the League”.
As to which team to watch this year, Mr Quek answers: “We fancy that the teams are equally well matched especially with the revised rules and format. This year’s League will see a more even competition so it’s anyone’s game.”
A new partner
Valued Hole-in-One (HIO) sponsor World Golfers Championship (WGC) Singapore returns again this year with an exceptional HIO offering but it also has an additional role as a new partner in the Business Times Corporate Golf League.
For the first time, this year will see the top five winners from different handicap divisions representing Singapore in the WGC world finals in Durban, South Africa, which will take place from Oct 27 to Nov 3. Therefore, the team could be made up of five different members from the 22 companies playing in this year’s League, which adds a different element to the competition, according to WGC Singapore’s Sazali Bava. “All expenses are paid and the team will be competing against 40 countries. It’s on a bigger scale this year. The Business Times Corporate Golf League has a similar motto to WGC’s which is ‘sport promotes friendship and business’. It really clicks between Business Times and WGC and we want to enhance it by entering a five-man team to make it more exciting. You play in a team in the League, but you still get a chance to compete on an individual level in South Africa. This also means more networking as Team Singapore.”
He adds: “We want to support new tournaments put on by local companies and to promote amateur golf here in Singapore.”
The WGC, whose patron is the legendary Arnold Palmer and whose chairman of the Advisory Board is former LPGA player Annika Sorenstam, gives amateurs the experience of representing their country in a world championship final, individually as well as in a team.
In addition to this unique offering by WGC Singapore during this year’s Business Times Corporate Golf League, they are sponsoring a magnificent HIO prize - a five-day Classic Ryder Cup Experience (land package only) for two. It includes a four night suite accommodation at Homewood Suites by Hilton Schaumburg, daily breakfast, Ryder Cup Season ticket, round-trip limousine service (min two people) from/to airport, and round-trip transportation to Medinah Country Club.
A healthy return on investment (ROI) was one of the reasons that WGC Singapore returned as a sponsor and became a partner this year. “There is the corporate branding for WGC and a chance to build on that corporate branding...(by) branding together with Business Times,” explains Mr Bava, adding: “You get to meet a
lot of people and make new friends, build relationships and have fun too. That’s the best part of this Business Times golf. It’s competitive golf but it‘s also good fun.”
