Sports

Ernie Els attends Cuba’s first-ever Montecristo Cup Golf Event

Havana, Cuba – On May 2nd, 2009, Palmares SA, the organization responsible for golf in Cuba, hosted the inaugural Montecristo Cup (www.themontecristocup.com) at the Varadero Golf Club (www.varaderogolfclub.com) in Varadero, Cuba. The competition, which was open to amateurs and professionals alike, was oversubscribed and exceeded expectations. The event was a truly international competition, with golfers representing many countries including the UK, Canada, Spain, Andorra, Korea, Vietnam, Japan as well as Cuba.

Guest of honour, Ernie Els, a three-time major championship winner and currently ranked among the top 20 golfers in the world, said, “I’m very pleased to see so many people enjoying a wonderful day on this great course, and I look forward to coming back and seeing much more Cuban golf.”

The 18-hole tournament began with a shotgun start under clear blue skies at the beachfront course and ended with a win for Xavier Espot Miró, the Andorran Ambassador to Spain, with the lowest net score of 67 playing off a handicap of 14. He accepted a magnificent Cuervo y Sobrinos watch as well as a framed photo of Che Guevara playing golf.

In second and third places were Cubans Leonel Darias and Juan Manuel Lopez and the longest drive competition was won by Miss Baik Yeonim from Korea, playing off a handicap of 8. The awards were presented by Ernie Els together with the event’s organising committee which included the President of Palmares, the Vice Minister for Tourism in Cuba, and representatives from Esencia and Habanos.

Sandino Fernandez, the representative of Palmares, said: “We are extremely happy. It was an exciting tournament and the first of many.”

Cuban national Yorkis Cabrera won the Esencia Cup for the lowest gross score. An initial draw with the Spanish player, Jerome Schiele with a score of 72, resulted in an exciting sudden death putting competition.

Andrew Macdonald of Boisdale, CEO of Esencia Hotels & Resorts, presented a set of junior golf clubs to the Cuban Vice Minister for Tourism, kindly gifted from the Royal & Ancient in Scotland, the original home of Golf, in support of the growth of golf among Cuba’s youth. He said, “As a British company from the original home of golf, we are excited to work with Palmares in the development of golf in Cuba. The tournament is a great launch of a new era for the game in Cuba.”

Habanos S.A., the main sponsor of the competition, agreed that the day was the perfect occasion for enjoying their new Montecristo ‘Open’ range of cigars. Made from the finest ‘vegas’ in the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba, and designed for “new generations who enjoy the pleasures of living ‘alfresco’. The cigars were enjoyed by the spectators, and also during the cocktail and dinner offered to the competitors that followed The Montecristo Cup. “We look forward to sponsoring the second Montecristo Cup in 2010 after such a great success,” said Jorge Maique, Director of Marketing for Habanos.

Scenes From The Course




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