The trophy in the hands of Team Commissioner captain Kim Long (left) and vice-captain William Ng.
TEAM Commissioner retained the C3 Cup by virtue of a tied-on-points finish to this year’s annual tournament at Tropicana Resort and Golf Club in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
In its third edition, styled on the Ryder Cup format and held to celebrate Chinese New Year with all sections of society represented in a field of 14 players a side, there was no shortage of drama as the competition went to the wire and only settled with the last putt of the day.
With 21 points on offer, the scores were tied 10½-10½ at the end, which ensured that Team Commissioner – dubbed Team Chillax – remained the champions for yet another year by virtue of having won the silverware at Impian Golf and Country Club last year.
In the first nine Best Ball format, Team Commissioner and Team Challenger were deadlocked at 3½-3½, and a similar outcome was registered in the singles when they could not be separated at 7-7.
Team Challenger, dubbed the Avengers after Marvel Studios’ superheroes, led the overall scoring by one point with two singles matches to play.
That meant Team Commissioner needed just one point from those pairings to retain the Cup.
And things did not look that rosy for them when on the last tee box, the Avengers were one up in both matches.
For them, a half-point in either would have been good enough to secure the Cup.
Instead, Datuk Lim Mooi Choo and Kel Wong both halved their matches in clashes with Otto Ong and Zac Lee, to the delight of captain Datuk Lim Kim Long and his charges, while Avengers skipper Dr Nick Low and his side were left to rue what might have been.
The match was decided by an eight-foot putt by Kel, who said it was just a blur to him.
“I knew it had to go in for us to square the match,” he said afterwards.
“And I was obviously tense and pressured by the situation. So, you can imagine how happy I was to see that putt fall.
“I gave it good respect, measured it from both ends, and chose one line that I stuck to.”
Kim Long, too, was delighted about retaining the Cup.
He gave the opposition due credit when he said that “it was a good, tough fight”.
“This event is about friends celebrating Chinese New Year, just as we celebrate almost everything else during the year.
“But we also do it with great comradeship and respect for each other in a competition on the golf course.
“That the scores were even at the end of the day showed just how intense the rivalry was.
“Yet after all the action on the course, the players from both teams get together and celebrate together.”
Nick said he was proud of “the fight” they put up against the defending champions and added that he “could not have asked for more” from his players.
“The tournament was played in good spirits, as it should be, and was enjoyed by all who took part in it.
“We’re obviously disappointed not to have won after coming so close, but the beauty in it is that we did our best and never really lost because the scores were tied at the end of the day,” said Nick.
