Dato Paduka Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar strike a hole-in-one and walked away with BND 20,000 on the 4th day of Baiduri Masters 2017

In what has turned out to be a spectacular start to the second weekend of golf, the Baiduri Masters 2017 saw Dato Paduka Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar ace hole 12 to snag the $20,000 cash prize. He became the fifth ever golfer to strike a hole-in-one in the 22 year history of the Baiduri Masters and the second ever golfer to walk away with the $20,000 cash prize. Kahar Bakar was the first golfer to walk away with the $20,000 cash prize in 2015.

Under sub-optimal conditions for a round of golf, DP Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar, with luck on his side and armed with his trusty Maruman Majesty 9-iron, struck his Titleist NXT No. 1 ball at 5pm which bounced on the green and rolled straight into the cup.

A hole-in-one prize works on the premise that if there is more than one winner, the prize will be shared among the winners.  As such, DP Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar will have to wait until the end of the tournament this Sunday to know if he is the outright winner of the $20,000 cash prize.

By the end of today’s session, the Top 16 Leaderboard saw a lot of movement with the addition of five new contenders: Khairul Khamis, Irfan Rahman, Kalali Hj Munchit, Hj Khairul Jamaluddin and Dennis Koh.

Suhaimi Ibrahim took the top spot with an impressive score of 69. He improved his previous score by 3 strokes and moved up 4 places. Tied for second, third and fourth are Ahmad Yani Hj Md Noor, Pg Hj Ahmad Zaki, and Seruji Hj Setia with a gross of 71.

For fifth and sixth place, Hj Shahminan Hj Damit and 2013 Baiduri Masters Champion Khairul Khamis are tied with a score of 72. The next five spots saw Nujaimi Hj Jumat, Irfan Rahman, Kalali Hj Munchit, Zulehram Yakub and Pg Hj Zamani Pg Hj Ahmed tied with a gross of 73 each.

Similarly, the next three spots also saw a tie between Hj Khairul Jamaluddin, Md Kamarul Hafiz and Pg Hj Razali Pg Sabli with a score of 74.

Rounding off the top sixteen were Dennis Koh and Rudy Hairywan Yussof with a tied score of 75.

Dato Paduka Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafa with his golfing buddies

The leader board score

The Baiduri Masters 2017 will continue tomorrow with the final round being played on Sunday morning. The top 16 gross players at the end of tomorrow’s session will make the cut to vie for the Green Jacket and Challenge Trophy.

Besides the coveted Baiduri Masters Green Jacket and Challenge Trophy, the golfers also have the chance to score the fantastic hole-in-one prizes comprising two luxury cars and three cash prizes of B$20,000 each.

Other than the BMW 320i M Sport at hole 14, other hole-in-one prizes on offer this year are the Mini Cooper S for Hole 5, and B$20,000 cash each for Holes 2, 12 and 16.

Additionally, there will be novelty prizes up for grabs for the nearest to the pin throughout the tournament and also longest drive as well as lucky draw prizes.

As with every year, proceeds raised during the Baiduri Masters will be donated to local charity organisations that help persons with special needs integrate into the wider society.

Those who haven’t registered for the tournament can still do so at the RBA Golf Club, First Floor, VIP Room. Registration for Saturday afternoon and Sunday opens at 6.00 am to 8.30 pm. Participants are encouraged to play more than once to improve their chances of winning, and they will enjoy a discount on the registration fee on their subsequent rounds.

The Baiduri Masters are held over two weekends at the RBA Golf Club, Berakas and played on format System 36 (Stroke Play) and the challenge trophy will be decided on gross. The Baiduri Masters tournament is divided into 4 divisions – Men’s, Group, Ladies and Junior. The Men’s division will be further divided into Men’s Gross, Men’s Nett and Senior Golfers Nett.

For more details, the public can log onto the website www.baiduri.com or call the Baiduri Bank Customer Helpline at 244 9666.

Baiduri Bank organisers of the Baiduri Masters Charity Golf Tournament with the partners

The highly anticipated annual golf tournament, the Baiduri Masters Charity Golf Tournament is set to tee off in a fortnight spanning two weekends, 28 to 30 April and 5 to 7 May 2017. This year marks the 22nd edition of the Baiduri Masters organised by Baiduri Bank Group.

Thanks to the support of strategic partner – the QAF Group of Companies, the much awaited hole-in-one car prizes for Baiduri Masters 2017 was confirmed this morning at the Partnership Signing Ceremony held at the QAF Centre. Besides two luxury cars, players will also stand a chance to win three cash prizes plus numerous other tournament prizes at the Baiduri Masters 2017.

The hole-in-one prizes for this year are as follows: BMW 320i M Sport for Hole 14; Mini Cooper S for Hole 5; and $20,000 cash prize for Holes 2, 12 and 16.

The event began with the opening remarks by Mr. Pierre Imhof, Chief Executive Officer of Baiduri Bank. He said, “Since the tournament’s inception in 1995, the Baiduri Masters has always been centred towards supporting our community and making a difference. The tournament has been raising funds for local charities and organisations that support people with special needs and promotes activities that help people with special needs integrate into society. Last year, we were able to raise $85,000 for charity.”

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony began with a signing between the Baiduri Bank Group and the RBA Golf Club. Another MOU between Baiduri Bank Group and Brunei Press was also signed this morning to appoint Borneo Bulletin and Media Permata as the print media partners for the event.

The signing ceremony with all the strategic partners. This picture was between Baiduri Bank and RBA Golf Club

The media during the coverage of the signing ceremony

One of the prizes for the hole-in-one

A BMW car as one of the prizes for the hole-in-one

Mr. Asmadi bin hj Alimustapha, General Manager of the RBA Golf Club,Mr. Albert Lau, Chief Executive Officer of QAF Brunei Sdn Bhd, and Mr. Reggie See, General Manager of Brunei Press Sdn Bhd signed on behalf of their organizations respectively while Mr. Pierre Imhof, Chief Executive Officer of Baiduri Bank signed on behalf of the Baiduri Bank Group.

Mr. Ng Joon An,Accountant at the RBA Golf Club,Mr. Siva Kumar Krishnan,General Manager of QAF Auto Sdn Bhd, Ms. Hazizah Osman, Deputy General Manager of Brunei Press Sdn Bhd and Mr. Andrew Young, Deputy General Manager, Operations Management Division andDiversification and Strategic Development of Baiduri Bank cum President of the Organising Committee of Baiduri Masters 2017 signed as witnesses respectively.

The champion of theBaiduri Masters 2016 was Tony Hj Karim, a first time Baiduri Masters champion. Rounding out the top 5 were Zulhilmi Rosli, Seruji Hj Setia, Johari Hj Ahmad and Pg Hj Ahmad Zaki.

The upcoming golf tournament is divided into four divisions: Men’s, Ladies, Juniors and Team. The Men’s division will be further divided into Men’s Open and Senior Golfers categories. The Junior Golfers category is open to golfers aged 13 to 18 years old.

Registration commences from Monday, 17 April 2017 and the registration fee remains at BND120 for adults and BND60 for juniors. The registration fee is inclusive of green fee, buggy, goodie bag as well as buffet breakfast and lunch. Players are invited to the prize presentation dinner at the end of the tournament.

Players may play more than once to improve their chances of winning. Adult players will enjoy a discount on the registration fee on their second and subsequent rounds. The best score of any round played will be taken.

For more information, please contact the Baiduri Customer Helpline at 244 9666 or log onto www.baiduri.com.

Check out the BMW golf wear

The BMW golf equipment looks elegant

Who’s gonna lift the Baiduri Masters trophy?

The previous winner of the hole-in-one back in 2015. This was the last time someone won a hole-in-one. Sadly there won’t be any Porsche lined up for the hole-in-one prize