It's team Emerio's day

THE seventh edition of The Business Times Corporate Golf League teed off on Thursday at Tanah Merah Country Club's Tampines Course with team Emerio winning the first round with a stableford score of 114. Four points behind in second place are Edge Golf, a new league entrant, followed by defending champions Team Boustead (108). Team SunMoon, who dominated for three years by winning the league in 2012, 2013 and 2014, are fourth with 107 while rounding out the top five are the ever consistent Bank of Singapore (OCBC).

Emerio's captain Harish Nim was extremely happy with the team's performance, especially with Rajiv Maliwal, who scored 39 points. "It was a team effort but Rajiv actually had a pretty disappointing run last year so it was so nice to see him do so well." He adds: "Considering we were runners-up last year, my plan, and my wish, is to stay in the top three every game and hope that we can retain our position.

"I'm sure SunMoon will catch up. Edge Golf, the new guys, are like pros so watch out for them, and Boustead are going strong. But you know what, we had fun today."

Emerio, who finished runners-up in last year's league, were awarded a bottle of wine sponsored by Le Vigne in addition to a Tanah Merah Country Club green fee voucher for each player, courtesy of SPH Golf.

In the social category, Seah Construction took top honours of the round with a stableford score of 108. The team won a box of golf balls sponsored by SPH Golf and a bottle of wine from Le Vigne.

This year sees the seventh staging of the popular annual event, which brings together some of Singapore's top executives and business people in an exciting, social and competitive environment. A total of 22 teams are taking part this year, which include familiar faces such as presenting sponsor Audi Singapore, Boustead, Emerio, Citibank, Centurion and Tat Hong, and debutants such as SAS and Banyan Tree - who are also both sponsors.

There were also a number of novelty prizes awarded at the post-round dinner. The three winners - Elton Ong from Fullerton Healthcare (264 metres), Eugene Ooi from Lian Beng (262 metres) and Edward Stanislaus from SPH Swinging Scribes (260 metres) in the Longest Drive category won a Hugo Boss voucher. This year, there is a Boss Longest Drive Challenge, where the winner with the longest distance from the six games will walk away with a full suit ensemble worth S$2,000, sponsored by Hugo Boss.

Mak Poh Fatt won Nearest to Pin (0.76 metres) on hole two and took home a three day-two night stay and play package at Laguna Bintan - including spa - sponsored by Banyan Tree.

Nearest to Pin on hole 11 was claimed by Jeffrey Ng (1.40 metres) and he received a Vokey Design SM6 Wedge sponsored by Titleist.

The winner of Nearest to Pin on hole 15 was Yoji Yasunobu (1.60 metres) who won a pair of Karl Phyle Zone by Z sunglasses from The Spectacle Hut.

Nearest to Line prize on the eighth hole was a S$200 voucher from Edge Golf and this was claimed by Stuart Reading with a distance of only 0.02 metres.

New to the league this year is a prize for the best individual score from the round. In addition to bragging rights and a trophy, the best individual stableford winner of each round will be named the FootJoy Player of the Round. Sponsored by FootJoy, whose marketing slogan and brand strategy is The Mark of a Player, the winner will be kitted out in FootJoy golf gear including shoes, socks, glove, shirt, belt and a Titleist cap.

Every leg will produce a winner but no one can win twice. Teo Han Kiat from Bank of Singapore (OCBC) took the honours this round with a stableford score of 40.

While no hole-in-one prizes - sponsored by Audi Singapore, Philip Stein and World Amateur Golfers Championship - were claimed, there were many lucky draw prizes given out.

They included a hotel stay at the W Hotel Singapore; a green fee voucher and a spa voucher for two sponsored by Laguna Bintan and Banyan Tree Spa; a weekend suite stay at The Park Hotel Clarke Quay and a suite stay in Nusa Dua, Bali, sponsored by Park Hotel Group; and a Zwilling 68 piece cutlery set worth S$1,399. The Banyan Tree special draw went to Paul Jacob, who won a two night stay and play package for two at Laguna Bintan, sponsored by Banyan Tree.