THE COMMANDER'S TROPHY - 2013
ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT OF THE EAGLES’ GOLF LINKS, CHINA BAY

The Commander’s Trophy Annual Golf Tournament was held on 1st June 2013 at Sri Lanka Air Force’s own Golf Course–the Eagles’ Golf Links–located in the picturesque settings of China Bay, close to the harbour city of Trincomalee.

The tournament, played under the Stableford format with a maximum handicap of 18 for men and 24 for ladies, was open to all and started off under shotgun at 0730AM with the participation of eighty enthusiastic and prominent golfers that included Dhanushi Senadhira, Niloo Jayatilake, Suwaneetha Selvaratnam, Neesha Nirmalalingam, Michele Mirchandani, Usha De Silva, Anusha Senadhira, Roshini Sangani in the Ladies’ Division and Sachin De Silva, Sujeewa Lankathilake, Bandula Weerasinghe, Sheron Fernando, Sanjiv Vairavanathan, Kushal Johnpillai, Sanjeewa Wickramanayake, Sohayb Sangani, Maj Gen Srinath Rajapakse, Sidath Wettimuny, Amal Cabraal and Tyeab Akbarally in the Men’s Division.

Mr. Ananda Jayasekara won the Commander's Trophy for 2013 securing the highest marks in the Men’s Division with 30 points with Mr. Chandana Weerasinghe becoming the Runner Up with 29 points with the best back 9 score. Mrs. Manori Jayakody won the Trophy for Ladies' Division with a total score of 32 points.  Mr. Rohitha Silva won the award for the Longest Drive played on the 1st Fairway while Mrs. Nilika Weerasinghe won the Nearest to Pin award played on the No. 18th Hole.

Of significance was the fact that new tournament filled a long awaited need amongst the golfing fraternity for a new challenging competition in a unique location. The awards were given away at a gala awards night held at the ‘Bayview’ Air Force Resort, China Bay on the same day. The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama, was present on the links and at the evening's awards night to watch the golfers in action and to give away the awards. 

The Chairman Air Force Golf, Air Vice Marshal Kapila Jayampathy, Air Force’s Director Aeronautical Engineering, Air Vice Marshal Jayanath Kumarasiri, Director Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, Air Vice Marshal Rohan Pathirage, Commandant Air Force Academy China Bay, Air Commodore Sudarshana Pathirana and retired Air Vice Marshals Asoka Amunugama and Anura Silva also participated in this inaugural Board Event of the Club which ended on a note of monumental success.

The trophy, designed by Wing Commander Wasanthakumara and crafted by Mr. Dhammika Swarnasinghe, is fashioned on the lines of the ‘Claret Jug’ which is the trophy that has been presented to the winner of the ‘British Open’ since 1873. Despite the conceptual similarity, the Commander’s Trophy assumes a different shape and altogether different and unique scheme of engraving which reflects Sri Lanka’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent craftsmanship of the traditional Kandyan silversmiths.