Monkey Business on the Golf Course

Posted on Sunday 04 Apr 2010

Putting Bridgestone, the world’s largest tyre and rubber producer, and Formula One drivers in the same sentence makes absolute sense - the two are synonymous. However, if you were add flying balls, cobras, sand bunkers and the occasional monkey into the equation one could well be a little puzzled!

However, that is exactly what happened this Wednesday after Bridgestone Malaysia invited Formula One drivers, Rubens Barrichello of AT&T Williams, Heikki Kovalainen of Lotus Racing and Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing to participate in their MD’s Cup 10th Anniversary “Drive for Charity” Golf Challenge.

Bridgestone Malaysia is this year celebrating its 10th Anniversary in Malaysia and with the location of one of Bridgestone’s golf ball production facilities also located in the country, it made perfect sense to combine the company’s annual golf challenge with the arrival of Formula One ahead of the Malaysia Grand Prix and raise some funds for Bridgestone’s chosen charity, the Global Environment Centre (GEC) and highlight the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign at the same time.

And it was for these reasons and with golfing reputations at stake that three Formula One drivers and approximately 40 invited key dealers and customers of Bridgestone Malaysia descended upon the Saujana Golf & Country Club just as dawn was breaking. Internationally renowned and endorsed by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA), Saujana’s international course is famed for its challenging terrain, on-course families of monkeys and of course being the host venue of one of Asia’s most prestigious golf events - the Malaysia Open.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, it’s rumoured that it is also home to plenty of venomous, but largely shy, cobras too: the reptiles having been introduced to add a balance to the local environment when the course was developed in 1983!

So, following a welcome introduction with the drivers, some autograph signing of selected items for auctioning off later in the day, the obligatory official photos and a hearty breakfast under their belts, Rubens, Mark, Heikki and Bridgestone’s own Director of Motorsport ,Hiroshi Yasukawa,  hit the course with an air of optimism about them. How hard could it be after all?!

Needless to say, the score sheets shall remain strictly confidential but it’s fair to say that all participants gave it their best shot.

Mark Webber, who had bravely arrived at the club direct from landing at the airport from Melbourne, was the first to bow out gracefully after a respectable 9 holes. But with a Red Bull Racing colleague who happened to also be a keen golfer at hand, and the expertise of the club’s own top caddies, Mark finished the course with his head held high. (We won’t mention how many times you took the first shot Mark, or how you caught the ball after it bounced back from the wall you smacked it into!)

Next to finish of the drivers was AT&T Williams’ Rubens Barrichello. A keen golfer who was partnered by Bridgestone’s Malaysia’s Managing Director, Takashi Aoki, Rubens stormed round the 18 holes with his supplied bag of Bridgestone golf clubs, relishing the challenges of the undulating terrain. It was a fine performance by the Brazilian driver and his exploits were keenly “Tweeted” to the world as he made his way round.

Rest assured however that there was as much competitive spirit between the drivers off the race track as there is on it, and Rubens was keen to let rumours of his birdie at the second hole filter through to Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen in the hope of distracting the keen golfer who has not long ago taken up the game.

And so it was that several hours after teeing off at 7.55am Heikki arrived at the final hole a little weary, but having taken on the challenge whole heartedly. And for his efforts he was rewarded with the personal satisfaction of having secured the Longest Drive of the day, having hit his Bridgestone Treosoft golf ball an impressive 278 metres at the third hole. 

Meanwhile, with Bridgestone matching the amount collected from the charity auction held on the day, an impressive RM16,320 has been raised so far from the auction of autographed golf items and a further auction will take place on Saturday evening in Kuala Lumpur.

As for the cobras and monkeys, well, the author of this feature had the pleasure of seeing a young family of monkeys scampering around in the shade of the trees but the cobras were more elusive, choosing to stay hidden in the undergrowth and wait for another day to frighten some other unsuspecting golfers.

All funds raised from the event’s auction will be donated to the Global Environment Centre (GEC) – a non-profit organization established in 1998 to address key environmental issues. GEC is based in Malaysia but supports activities worldwide. GEC has been a strong voice for the environment through a series of core programmes: Forest and Biodiversity, Peatland, River Care, Outreach and its Partnership Programme.