MercedesTrophy'11 golf tournament tees off in Mumbai

The MercedesTrophy, the renowned international golf tournament, returns with a bigger swing this year ' with the start of its club level qualifier ' the Mercedes-Benz Invitational Golf Tournament. The tournament got off to a flying start today in Mumbai at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club. This qualifier round is being held in nine cities ' Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Delhi, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Chennai & Bangalore.

Mercedes-Benz has been active in amateur golf since 1989. The MercedesTrophy is a dedicated tournament series for amateurs in which more than 50,000 players tee-off each year in more than 50 countries with the ultimate goal of winning a place at the elite World Final, held in the Mercedes-Benz homeland of Stuttgart.

The Mercedes Trophy Invitationals consists of nine invitational rounds starting with Mumbai. This will be followed by six regional rounds to be held in ' Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru & Chandigarh, which will culminate at the National finals at the Le Touessrok Golf Course, Mauritius to be held in April 2011. The three lucky winners at the national final will get a unique chance to participate in the Mercedes Trophy World Finals- an annual congregation of the finest-proven players and Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts, organized at Stuttgart, Germany.

The tournament presents a unique opportunity to golfing enthusiasts apart from the Mercedes-Benz owners, to compete in a premium golf event on a global platform. The overwhelming response to previous editions has encouraged Mercedes-Benz India to introduce the pre qualifier tournament known as the Mercedes-Benz Invitational Golf Tournament for all golf enthusiasts and have increased the number of qualifying rounds nationwide to encourage the vast sporting talent in the country. The lucky winner of the hole-in-one contest at the invitationals as well as regionals will walk away with stunning Mercedes-Benz SLK.

Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes Benz India Private Limited: "The introduction of the Mercedes-Benz Invitational Golf Tournament is a testimony to the huge success & growing popularity of the Mercedes Trophy. The MercedesTrophy reflects the brilliant connect of sports and lifestyle and espouses the premier status of the Three Pointed Star. We are delighted to welcome friends and customers of Mercedes-Benz from all over India. This year the tournament witnesses a wider footprint: with estimated 2000 Mercedes-Benz patrons & golf aficionados expected to participate.

Debashis Mitra, Director ' Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India Private Limited: "The association of sporting prowess and lifestyle finesse has been a hallmark of the MercedesTrophy. The event promises to attract the cream of the country's golfers and boasts to be one of the most celebrated sporting events in India's golfing calendar. The participants at this tournament comprises distinguished achievers from all walks of life and many find this event a great occasion to meet and interact with other Mercedes-Benz owners."

The MercedesTrophy also witnessed appearances by leading professional golfer and ambassador of the 10th edition of MercedesTrophy Golf Tournament - Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar, Kapil Dev and Ajay Jadeja, keen golfer Dr Farokh Abdullah, tennis star Leander Paes as well as TV commentator Charu Sharma.