Golf: Husband and wife defy odds to win the 2017 Moyne Trophy in Nyali

Truly, behind every successful man...

SPORTS-GOLF-THUSARA DE SILVA SPORTS-GOLF-THUSARA DE SILVA; Thusara De Silva (left) and his wife Rapthi De Silva (Middle) receives their 2017 moyne Trphy from the Nyali golf and Country Club Captain John Stokes (right) at the club house in Mombasa County on Saturday,010th June,2017. The Couple returned a combined score of 30 points to to emerge the overall winners.[Maarufu Mohamed,Standard]

Thusara De Silva and his wife Rapthi sink rare birdie for victory.

Golf is an addictive sport. Granted, it has its own share of challenges and anguish, but the sport continues to attract new players every weekend.

And “Mixed Foursomes”, which is played by two people, is a format that seems enjoyable, but is yet to gain its deserved popularity among golfers.

It is a format that needs precise decisions. Here, golfers play alternatively throughout the 18 holes.

On Saturday, 23 pairs of brave men and women were at the par 71 Nyali Golf and Country Club in Mombasa, as they battled for honours in the annual Moyne Trophy, which is played on a mixed foursome format.

This year, former Nyali Club chairman Thusara De Silva and his Wife Rapthi De Silva, defied all odds to win on an excellent score of 38 stableford points.

Thusara and Rapthi, who were playing a combined handicap of 19, made a last-minute decision to sink a rare birdie on the shortest par three-18th hole, which granted them the enviable win.

They added three level pars on the par four-fourth, the par five-11th and the par three-15th holes, but dropped points after playing 14 double bogey shots in the rest of both nines.

“It’s a good win for us though it was not easy. Sometimes our decisions were accurate and at times never worked, but as a couple, we moved on to win and hopefully, we shall defend the title next year,” said Thusara.

John Smith and Ian Marshall were second.