Back in Britain the evenings draw in and the frost bites, but in Yangon the sun blazes and the gentle breeze blows, perfect for a round of golf.
On the 29th November 2019 the British Chamber saw a return of the Annual Golf Tournament, after a one year break. We were delighted to welcome 80 golfers to compete in an 18-hole Texas Scramble at Pun Hlaing Golf Club, in the Pun Hlaing Estate.
Texas Scramble, also known as Captain’s Choice, became popular in Texas in the 1950’s. It is a form of team competition in golf whereby each player tee’s off, then the best of these drives is chosen to be used for the next shot. All team members place their balls where the chosen drive ended up, and each team member plays a second shot from this spot. This process is repeated until the balls are holed. The lowest score is recorded (one score for each hole) and the team with the lowest score for the round wins. One of the main attractions of Texas Scramble is that poor golfers can join in with little fear of embarrassment or of being a burden to other players.
The British Chamber Tournament added another element to make the competition fairer for all, which was the Peoria Scoring System. A mystery to most, the Peoria System uses the retrospective scores from that day's round to gauge a golfer's potential. The calculation is done by an impartial observer selecting twelve holes at random, on each hole, the amount over or under par is summed, and the total is multiplied by three. This number acts as the golfer's, or in this case, teams Peoria handicap.
Sounds complicated but fortunately Hla Hla Win, the Caddy Manager at Pun Hlaing Golf Club was on hand to keep track and do the calculations for us.
As well as the overall team first, second and third place, we had nine competition holes with some great prizes up for grabs. The pinnacle of the prizes was the Mercedes Benz, A Class AMG, which could be won by making a ‘hole in one’ on the 12th. At 185 yards this was no mean feat, but we were keeping our fingers crossed for all the golfers. Unfortunately for the competition, but fortunately for the insurers the car wasn’t won, but the nearest the pin was instead rewarded with a Mercedes branded, TailorMade golf bag.
Following the golf itself, players enjoyed chipping contests with cocktails, and dinner on the 19th. We were joined by some additional dinner guests who enjoyed fine food and wine, catered by Horizons Restaurant.
We would like to say an enormous Thank You to all sponsors, without whom the tournament would not take place.
Firstly thank you to Dulwich College, who were the headline sponsor of the day. It was no reflection of your sponsorship that your team came second!!
Second Thank You to Mercedes Benz for loaning us your car for the day. We were thoroughly disappointed not to be giving it away.
Thank you to all the prize sponsors, the Rosewood Hotel who provided a Chef’s Table Dinner for eight people, at NOVA Brasserie. Now the winning team will be able to celebrate in style.
Thank you to MacArthurs Blended Scotch Whisky, who not only sponsored Second Prize but also donated a small bottle of whiskey to each golfer. Handy for settling the nerves on the course.
Thank you to Victory Myanmar Group who provided us with two barrels of their premium ‘Export Quality Mandalay Rum’. The two gallon barrel was a prize for the chipping contest during the cocktail reception, and the larger five gallon barrel was for making the Mojitos and Rum Sours.
Thank you to Memories Group for a staycation prize at the new Awei Meta Hotel. Two lucky winners will be able to relax and enjoy the tranquility of the Pun Hlaing estate at the weekend.
Thank you to Carlsberg and Tuborg, who sponsored cans on the course and draught beer in the evening. There were plenty of thirsty golfers.
Now to a list of the winners...
Overall Winners
First Place
Prize - Sponsored by Rosewood Yangon, (a bottle each of ‘L’or Blue’ and Chef’s Table Dinner for eight people, at NOVA Brasserie).
Team Royal Liverpool
Graeme French
Quentin Van Meerbeeck
Daw Hmwe Chint
Daw Khin Shwe
Second Place
Prize - Sponsored by MacArthurs Scotch Whisky, presented by Varsha Perera, Head of Premium Brands (150,000 MMK gift voucher for Junction City and a bottle each of MacArthurs Scotch Whisky).
Team Dulwich and Sydenham
Graham Horton
Michael Barry
Bernie Wilson
Daniel Sinnott
Third Place
Prize. A bottle each of ‘L’or Blue’.
Team Sunningdale
Peter Beynon (British Chamber Chairman)
Patrick Kong
Myo Aung Khin
Tiberius Popa
Competition Holes
Hole 3 – Nearest the Pin sponsored by Awei Metta – Erik Mok
Hole 3 – Second Nearest the Pin sponsored by Awei Metta – Hugo Slade
Hole 6 – Nearest the Pin sponsored by Star City – Eddy Herbert
Hole 9 – Longest Drive Sponsored by Mercedes Benz – Simon Payne
Hole 10 – Nearest the Pin in 2 – Sponsored by Dulwich College Yangon – Stephen Chick
Hole 12 – Hole in One – NOT WON
Hole 12 – Nearest the Pin – sponsored by Mercedes Benz – Zarni Tun
Hole 15 – Nearest the Pin – sponsored by Pun Hlaing Golf Club – Raymond Aung
Hole 18 – Straightest Drive (in each flight) – sponsored by Dulwich College Yangon –
Jonathan Klob
Ryan Neu
Sameer Noorani
Wong Yin
Zed Midwinter
Stephen Chick
Peter McDonald
U Win Thar
Peter Crowhurst (Chamber CEO)
Daw Hla Khin
U Zaw Lin Tun
Julia Yin Pillai
Mike Phone Myint
Patrick Kong
Daw Hmwe Chit
Quentin Van Wijk
Martin Appel
Tom Platts
Simon Daniel
Thibaut Settler
Chipping Contests
Mandalay Rum Challenge - Over the hedge onto the putting green, nearest the pin.
Prize - Sponsored by Victory Myanmar Group - Two gallon barrel of premium ‘Export Quality Mandalay Rum’ in a Yamane Cask.
Winner - Peter Beynon
Chamber Challenge - From the 19th hole, over the river to the 18th Green, nearest the pin.
At 10,000 MMK a chip, all proceeds raised will go to feeding the children and families of patients at Yankin Children’s Hospital. We raised 465,000 MMK which will provide lunch for five days.
Prize - Sponsored by the British Chamber - A bottle of Bollinger
Winner - Eric Mok
Thank You
Thank you to all the players, dinner guests, Chamber members and sponsors who were involved. We hope you enjoyed the day and look forward to next year’s tournament.
A final thank you to all the staff, British Chamber, Pun Hlaing, Horizons and more who pulled off a fantastic event.
