The MercedesTrophy, one of the better known golf tournaments in India returns this year in a bigger, better avatar. The club level qualifier for the tourney – ‘the Mercedes-Benz Invitational Golf Tournament’ is already underway. The tournament started today in Mumbai at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club. These qualifying rounds will be held in nine cities – Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Delhi, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Chennai & Bangalore. This 20 year old global amateur tournament is currently into its 11th edition in India.
The Mercedes Trophy Invitationals consists of nine invitational rounds starting with Mumbai. This will be followed by six regional rounds to be held in – Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru & Chandigarh, which will culminate at the National finals at the Le Touessrok Golf Course, Mauritius to be held in April 2011. The three lucky winners at the national final will get a unique chance to participate in the Mercedes Trophy World Finals- an annual congregation of the finest-proven players and Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts, organized at Stuttgart, Germany.
The MercedesTrophy is a dedicated tournament series for amateurs in which more than 50,000 players tee-off each year in more than 50 countries with the ultimate goal of winning a place at the elite World Final, held in the Mercedes-Benz homeland of Stuttgart.
The tournament presents a unique opportunity to golfing enthusiasts apart from the Mercedes-Benz owners, to compete in a premium golf event on a global platform. The lucky winner of the hole-in-one contest at the invitationals as well as regionals will walk away with stunning Mercedes-Benz SLK.
Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes Benz India Private Limited: “The introduction of the Mercedes-Benz Invitational Golf Tournament is a testimony to the huge success & growing popularity of the Mercedes Trophy. The MercedesTrophy reflects the brilliant connect of sports and lifestyle and espouses the premier status of the Three Pointed Star. We are delighted to welcome friends and customers of Mercedes-Benz from all over India. This year the tournament witnesses a wider footprint: with estimated 2000 Mercedes-Benz patrons & golf aficionados expected to participate.
The MercedesTrophy also witnessed appearances by leading professional golfer and ambassador of the 10th edition of MercedesTrophy Golf Tournament – Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar, Kapil Dev and Ajay Jadeja, keen golfer Dr Farokh Abdullah, tennis star Leander Paes as well as TV commentator Charu Sharma.
Result Sheet –
The MercedesTrophy Mumbai Round Qualifier
Bombay Presidency Golf Club, Mumbai
Saturday, 13th Nov 2010
| Handicap-Category – “A” (0-15) | ||
| Winner & Entry to Mercedes Trophy Mumbai Regional Round | Mr Prabhod Karnik | Handicap – 13; 41pts. |
| Runner Up | Mr D. C. Patel | Handicap – 15; 39 pts. |
| Handicap-Category – “B” (16-20) | ||
| Winner & Entry to Mercedes Trophy Mumbai Regional Round | Mr R. K. Padmanabhan, | Handicap – 16; 42 pts. |
| Runner up | Mr Milind Mokashi | Handicap – 17; 39 pts. |
| Handicap-Category – “C” (21-24) | ||
| Winner & Entry to Mercedes Trophy Mumbai Regional Round | Mr Dharam Vakharia | Handicap – 21; 42 pts. |
| Runner up | Mr Rakesh Chaumal | Handicap – 22; 39 pts. |
| Overall Gross Winner | Mr Nikhil Singh | 26 pts |
| Overall Ladies Winner | Mr Rani Maheshwary | Handicap – 15; 39 pts. |
| Ballantines Long Drive Challenge | Mr Nikhil Singh | 273 yards |