There are naughty stories about golfers, and there are nice stories about golfers. This is one of those nice stories.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch raised hundreds of thousands of dollars last Friday during its annual golf outing to support Operation Santa Claus.
The company's generosity will go towards helping two beneficiaries in particular: the Po Leung Kuk and the Autism Partnership Foundation.
Nearly 60 players, including bankers, clients and friends of the company, played 18 challenging holes at the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club.
Golfers were divided into two teams - Team Frosty and Team Rudolph. Four-and-a-half hours after the first golfers teed off, Team Rudolph came off the scenic par-70 course with the lowest score.
'Everyone is a winner at the end of the day, and more importantly Operation Santa Claus is the winner,' said Robert Stewart, Bank of America Merrill Lynch's head of marketing and communications for the Asia-Pacific region.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch raised money through sponsorships, raffle-ticket sales and mulligan tickets, with golfers able to erase up to three bad swings for HK$100 each.
'This is the 12th year that we've been supporting Operation Santa Claus. Every year, it comes back and it gets a bit stronger,' Stewart said. 'It's a great project in that it involves so many different people.'
On the bus ride to the club, Stewart bought one mulligan ticket as he has been known to miss the ball.
'I have a long history of making an air shot off the first tee,' Stewart said. 'What the mulligan does is it allows you to get rid of that sort of early wild swipe and not actually incur a stroke.'
Stewart missed the first shot, but connected solidly on his second, he said.
When play ended for the day, Mickie Lin of the information technology department had scored a 96 for the women's best gross score, and Abhinav Gorawara, of the equity structured solutions department, scored a 71 for the men's best gross score.
'Operation Santa Claus is a tremendous initiative and it's a pleasure to raise money for such a worthy cause,' said Gorawara, head of Asia-Pacific structured products.
The golf day is just one way that Bank of America Merrill Lynch supports Operation Santa Claus. The company also raises money through pin sales, a coin collection drive and a mini-golf day inside its offices in Central.
'From the point of view of getting our staff involved, it's a tremendous opportunity,' Stewart said. 'This year, something like 600 staff members have participated in some way.'
The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club was the charity sponsor of the golf day.
Club vice-president Huen Wong said the club was proud to be associated with the annual fund-raising appeal, which is organised by the South China Morning Post and RTHK.
'One of the major commitments we have is giving back to the community,' Wong said. 'This is a very exciting event, a very meaningful event for both the club and the players.'
You can help make a difference
How you can give
Donate online by credit card at osc.scmp.com
Donations can be made by ATM or at any HSBC branches: a/c number 502-676299-001 for SCMP CHARITIES LTD - OPERATION SANTA CLAUS
You can donate by cheque, payable to 'SCMP CHARITIES LTD - OPERATION SANTA CLAUS' and mailed to:
Operation Santa Claus, Morning Post Centre, 22 Dai Fat Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Donations of HK$100 or more are tax-deductible. If you'd like a tax receipt, please send the completed donation form and original bank receipt, with your name, address and phone number, to the address above
Contact us at osc@scmp.com or 2680 8159 or visit us online at osc.scmp.com