Triumph of Golf in the spirit of Diwali -another milestone of MGAUK

Golfers at MGAUK British Open Championship 2019

Autumns chill -wrapped with lovely sunshine and beautiful scenery of one of the top course set in 200 acres of breath-taking countryside in Surrey, welcomed all 47 golfers in the spirit of Diwali.

They are all in red in due respect of the festival of lights celebrated by all Hindus around the world today.

The patron of Malaysian Golf Association in the United Kingdom, MGAUK, Datuk Dr Ronnie Silva said today's British Open Championship 2019, is their finale event for this year before their members and partner golfers bid goodbye for the year and meet again next Spring. Meanwhile, it's president, Mochtar Basman emphasized about the unity between MGAUK and their friends. Today's event is participated by 20 players from The Phantom Golf Association and 6 from UK Bangladeshi Golf Association.

Selsdon Park Golf Club was originally laid out in 1929, and has a reputation as one of the top courses in the area, having hosted a Europro Tour Event in 2007. It provides an excellent 18-hole golf course  that will challenge golfers of all standards.

Many like Simon Gill and Eric Pengelly are feeling  optimistic and energetic.

At 6,473 yards with a par of 73, could the woodlands  be a real challenge for both high and low handicappers?

The course provides a wide variety of challenges, with 4 par 5s over 500 yards coupled with some short par 4s, meaning that to score well golfers have to be playing well with every club in the bag.

Wayward driving will be punished, as the rough can be incredibly thick, so accuracy off the tee is important. The signature 2nd hole is a fantastic test, where a good drive did leave the golfers with an uphill 2nd shot to the well protected green. Played in beautiful surroundings, the round at Selsdon Park definitely delighted  and challenged today's particpipants of all abilities.

Eventhough the weather is perfect,  due to the poor condition during the week, the game is based on winter rules, also known as ''preferred lies''.

The idea behind winter rules is that in the off-season or after prolonged spells of poor weather, when course conditions can adversely impact on what might be seen as the fair playing of the game, they give golfers the chance to improve their lie to a degree that might be deemed to be equable.

At the course today all of the fairways are soggy, and golfers did have to roll their eyes when their balls either end up in poor, muddy lies or accumulate a lot of mud as they roll out.  So, the adoption of winter rules or preferred lies under a suitably worded temporary Local Rule did allow players to play their next shot from something closer to the lie they would probably have enjoyed in the summer.

Typically, winter rules would allow them, in accordance with Appendix 1 of the Rules of Golf, to lift, clean and place your ball within six inches of where it has come to rest, although that distance is not mandatory and may vary but only on “closely mown areas”.

Rolled in the mud or not, everyone did perfectly enjoy the tardy and lengthy game on a bright and sunny day in the midst of the fall of the leaves in the thick forest of Selsdon Park.

For MGAUK, this is not the end game for 2019, few friendly tournaments have been lined up in their diary at other hot country including Portugal and Malaysia.