Despite the effects of global economic crisis, last month’s 3rd charitable golf outing secured the same number – 20 – of competing teams as took part last year.
Major tournament sponsors Melco Crown Entertainment and Westin Resort – joined by Galaxy Entertainment, Mercedes-Benz, MGM Grand, Coca-Cola, Seapower Trading – as event supporters – and Wynn, SJM, Shuffle Master, IGT, Aristocrat, BNU, Silver Heritage, Las Vegas Sands, Dog One Life, Helping Hand, SK Support and Macau Business as participating patrons.
And of course, everyone turned out aon the greens of the Macau Golf and Country Club to compete under the banner of Social Corporate Responsibility.
Teams of three battled for the right to forward their winnings to the institution of their choice.
Total tournament prize money was set at HK$200,000 to be equally divided between the the team who finished with the least number of stokes (gross score) and the best calculated score under the Preoria System (net score).

Excellent conditions
The gods smiled on the tournament with excellent weather conditions as play got underway, presided over by the Macau Professional Golfers’ Association – the MPGA – who enforced a “Texas Scramble” choice of play style format, allowing for both experienced and novice players to compete on an equal footing.
While competition thrived throughout the round competition, at the 18th hole it was Team BNU who penned the best gross score with 65 strokes, or six under par.
An expected score came from veteran golfers JosÈ Braz-Gomes, JosÈ Carlos Angeja and Johnny Senna Fernandes who represented the financial institution and one of two local currency printers.

Female force
Against the overwhelming male majority, setting the odds at 19 to one, it was the all-female Team MBSK, F·tima Hung, Alice Costa and Ester Catita – also the only ladies in the competition – who hit the best 66 net Preoria score, or five under par.
Other prizes besides the two monetary awards were also given out.
While Team SK Support was the only squad landing an eagle, on the 18th hole, counting as two birdies, ultimately it was Team Dog One Life who snagged the MGM Best Performing Team Trophy, as the trio who finished the round with six birdies.
Team Wynn B won the Putting Contest side-event, landing each player a spot on a putting clinic with personalised fitting by Harold Swash Putting School of Excellence, managed by Special Hole Sponsor YES! Putters.
A putter by YES! was also the prize for Longest Drive Female, awarded to Alice Costa from Team MBSK, with Alastair Dick from Team Grand Lisboa as the male prize counterpart; Ian Wood from Team IGT I won Nearest to Pin special hole prize.
The 3rd Annual Macau Business Charity Golf Tournament & Gala Dinner was sponsored by Melco Crown Entertainment and the Westin Resort, with the support of Galaxy Entertainment, Mercedes-Benz, MGM Grand, Coca-Cola and Seapower Trading. The Macau Professional Golfers’ Association oversaw all golf related activities.

Holes to hope

The Cradle of Hope Association and the International Ladies’ Club were the real winners of the 3rd Annual Macau Business Charity Golf Tournament and Gala Dinner. They were chosen as the beneficiaries of winning teams BNU and MBSK
Socially responsible corporate patrons who took part in our charity golf outing, competed not for a shot at the prize money, but for the naming rights of the institution to whom the money goes.
HK$200,000 was equally divided between the teams with the best gross and net scores (see text in these pages).
This tournament’s champions Team BNU, chose to give their prize money to The Cradle of Hope Association, a social project running two orphanages for abandoned babies and children at risk.
An ecstatic Marjory Vendramini, president of the Cradle, received the HK$100,000 cheque from the winners.

Fitting winners
The International Ladies’ Club was arguably ‘the’ fitting charity choice of net score winners Team MBSK, the event’s only ladies’ team.
Founded in 1982 to promote friendship and understanding, while liaising between donating organisations and charities, and now working with more than a dozen local charities, the ILCM was represented by its president, Andrea Mansfield.
Apart from the tournament prize ceremony, the 3rd Annual Macau Business Charity Golf tournament Gala Diner also hosted fund raising auctions throughout the evening.
Memorabilia from the world of sport, cinema and music were sold at the event, including an autographed helmet by MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi and an electric guitar from rock legends U2. Artworks from European and Chinese artists also went under the hammer.
Among the institutions benefiting from moneys raised on the glamorous evening were the Andrew Stow Memorial Fund, the Gallery Marianne Kids Art Development Project, as well as Helping Hands who in turn will channel funds into other social projects.
Despite the event’s success, the total amount of money raised this year fell short of last year’s, coming in at just below the MOP500,000 mark.

Economic reality
Stefan Kuehn, Co Managing Director of organisers MBSK said: “This was a clear indicator of the current [economic] circumstances.”
The evening was crowned by a lucky draw of prizes from supporters such as Louis Vuitton, Patron Tequila, Wynn Resorts, MGM Grand, The Westin Resort, Grand Lapa Hotel, The Venetian, Cubic, SJM Grand Lisboa – Don Alfonso, Macau Golf & Country Club, Summergate, Hutchinson 3, and Macau Tower – 360.