Winners L to R Rajshekhar Gopala , NK Lenka and Rajesh Saluja
The 23rd annual edition of the Mercedes Trophy, the largest amateur golf series in the country involving around 2500 amateur golfers in 8 different cities across India, held its National Final at Oxford Golf Resort in Pune to select three winners to go to the MercedesTrophy World Finals in Stuttgart, Germany, against competitors from 50 countries across the globe.
48 finalists, most accompanied by their spouses, were flown to Pune for this grand event which included a gala welcome dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Pune, a visit to the Mercedes plant where a visit to the shop floor, a presentation at the state of the art Visitor Centre and a mind blowing driving experience as well as Electric vehicle test drives provided never to be forgotten memories. The golf at Oxford was spectacular as ever and conditions were that play would be without caddies, standard practice at the National Final, since the World Final in Germany is played without caddies.
The Welcome dinner at the rooftop of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Pune set the tone for a memorable weekend
– The crystal studded Winners Trophies Unveiled by ( L to R) Vyankatesh Kulkarni , Executive Director and Head of Operations, India , Santosh Iyer MD & CEO , Lance Bennett VP ,Sales and Marketing and Shekhar Bhide – VP Customer Service & Corporate Affairs
The special prize on offer, as always, was the Straightest Drive contest or “Drive to Major’ for which the winner gets an all expense paid trip to the Open championship in Britain this July with Mercedes Benz hospitality, since the brand has been an official partner of the Open championship for many years. Another money can’t buy experience for the winner of this contest.
This off road Driving Experience at the Mercedes-Benz track demonstrated the Brand’s Incredible Safety features.
NATIONAL FINAL WINNERS –
Category Name & Home Town Points
A NK Lenka from Bangalore 36
B Rajesh Saluja from Mumbai 35
C Rajshekhar Gopala from Hyderabad 31
Runners-Up
Category Name & Home Town Points
A Mohan Rao Chepyala Hyderabad 34
B Nakul Dahiya from Delhi 32
C Sunil Kumar Jain 29
On Course Contests
Category Name Measurements
Drive To Major Hole #16 Manav Sardana – Delhi On the line
Longest Drive Hole #2 Saurabh Jangle 260 Yards
Closest to Pin Hole #14 Rajiv Bajaj 17ft