Bank of America Merrill Lynch hold charity golf day for Operation Santa

Rain and challenging conditions did little to dampen the spirits of golfers who turned out for the 16th Bank of America Merrill Lynch charity golf day yesterday to raise money for Operation Santa Claus.

The event at the Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club saw many balls go astray and putts go wide of the mark as 67 players - staff and clients of the bank and their friends and family - took to the course to raise funds to help those in need this Christmas.

The bank revealed it had amassed more than HK$600,000 even before a ball had been hit, smashing all previous fundraising efforts. Last year, HK$500,000 was raised from the event. Much of the money was raised through sponsorships of 17 holes around the course, registration fees, raffle tickets and the sale of "mulligan" tickets, which allow a player to take one free shot.

Ivo Distelbrink, the head of Asia-Pacific global transaction services at the bank, said: "It's our best year ever [for fundraising], and we're proud of it.

"We do a lot for the community, and giving back to the community at the right time to the right people is in our DNA," Distelbrink said.

Paul Scanlon, the Asia-Pacific head of global marketing and corporate affairs, said: "We focus on investing in women and children across the Asia-Pacific region because historically … they get left behind. Operation Santa helps us to focus on women and children's education, poverty, sanitation and housing. [For us] it's symbiotic, a good partner, and helps all the NGOs we're focused on."