This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on February 13, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: About 1,000 Mercedes-Benz owners are expected to participate in this year’s MercedesTrophy, returning for the 29th year in Malaysia. The MercedesTrophy is an exclusive international invitation tournament series for Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s customers who are golf enthusiasts.

“There is no other sport as fascinating and multifaceted as golf. It is a well-balanced sport combining leisure, competition and camaraderie among players over a rendezvous on the green. MercedesTrophy is a sporting event reflecting the brilliant connect of sports and lifestyle and underlines the premier status for Mercedes-Benz,” Mercedes-Benz Malaysia president and chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Claus Weidner said in a statement yesterday.

This year’s competition will feature nine qualifying rounds from March 8 to April 15 with the top three winners of each round meeting for the Malaysian final at TPC Kuala Lumpur.

The first player to achieve a hole-in-one on any of the two designated par-3 holes at each venue will win the new Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 worth RM293,888. Other prizes include exclusive Mercedes-Benz merchandises and other novelty prizes from the marketing partners for MercedesTrophy including Crestlink, EPOS, The Edge, Taylormade, The Saujana Hotel & Resort, Carlsberg, Kinslager and Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia.

Meanwhile, there will be three categories for men and one category for women. The top two winners in each of the four handicap categories at the national final will qualify for the MercedesTrophy Regional Final Asia, with an all-expenses-paid trip to Brisbane, Australia from Aug 6 to Aug 9. Three Asian teams will be selected to represent Asia in the MercedesTrophy World Finals in Stuttgart, Germany from Sept 30 to Oct 5.