MAGIC prizewinners felicitated

Preeti Jabbal reports.

It wasn’t long ago that golfers only compared scores. Now they compete for longest drive, golf/home balance and fashion stakes. At the recent Meher MAGIC (Melbourne Golfers with Indian connection) Tournament, golfers were acknowledged not only for their successful shots but also for the dedication to their game with nominations for the aforementioned categories. The Oscar-style presentation that acknowledged the best on the course over 10 MAGIC golf tournaments, was held at Café Saffron in South Morang.

A decade since they first started as a social golf club for amateurs, MAGIC Golf seeks to elevate itself into the top echelons of Indian Australian golf events in Melbourne. More than 40 players tackled the greens on October 10 for the Meher MAGIC Golf Tournament held at the Long Island Country Club in Melbourne. Fluctuating between trepidation and confidence, the players plotted their way around with precision.

On the greens, competitors persevered in their quest for perfect strokes overcoming demanding tee shots, confronting bunkers and gnarly putting surfaces. The players comprised of a mix of casual golfers with a decent handicap and regular golfers aiming for a healthy improvement in their game. The social nature of the game was evident in the interaction between teams while conquering the 18 holes. The unexpectedly glorious sunshine offered perfect conditions for a day of swinging clubs.

The main sponsor of the tournament was Meher Trailers. Owned by Param and Monia Virdi, the company has been selling trailer parts in the trailer industry since 1995. Meher Trailers has revolutionized the boat trailer industry by introducing galvanized springs. They have been supporting MAGIC Golf for many years and were instrumental in planning the presentation dinner. “Golf is a game that should be taken seriously, but that should not stop us from having fun. I think it is important to get our families involved in appreciation of the game,” said Param Virdi. 

Miss Anita Nayar, Consul of India was chief guest for the presentation evening held on October15. “Our goal is to grow the game,” said Pavan Cheema, President of MAGIC. “Our team believes that while it is important to attract new golfers, it’s also vital to retain the current ones. This dinner and dance is an opportunity to meet families, make friends and reward good players all with a view to create long lasting relationships,” he added.

A special mention needs to be made of the tireless efforts put in by Pavan Cheema, Satindar Singh, Ashish Rekhy, Anoop Singh, Ajit Rao, Akshay Dhingra, Sid Verma and Arjun Caprihan. With appreciative applause from family and friends as their only reward, these golf lovers did the hard yards on a voluntary basis and pulled off a successful event. From the first participant who teed off the fairway at sunrise to the last one to be reunited with his golf ball, feedback suggests that the tournament was a straight hit.

Below are the various prize winners of 10th Meher MAGIC Golf Tournament…  

Grade A:
1st – Inder Pal Goel
2nd – Bob Bedi
3rd – Manek Irani
Grade B:
1st – Ravi Pachauri
2nd – Pankaj Singh
3rd – Bonny Malik
Nearest to the Pin winners:
Bonny Malik
Surit Sethi
Bob Bedi
Longest Drive:
Jayant Rajan
Lowest Round of the Day:
Bob Bedi

MAGIC Oscars Winners covering the 10 MAGIC Golf tournaments were:
Most Dedicated Golfer – Anil Mehra
Most Improved Golfer – Akshay Dhingra
Golfer with Longest Drive – Naush Dinshaw
Golfer achieving best Golf/Home Balance – Arjun Caprihan
Most Well Presented Golfer – Ajay Jaswal