On St. Matthew’s Day, the 20th Madis Habakuk Cup by EBS once again brought the EBS community together to determine this year’s best golfers among EBSters.
On 21 September, the EBS community gathered on the beautiful courses of the Estonian Golf & Country Club to celebrate the 20th edition of the tournament. Over the years, this competition has grown into a cherished tradition that unites different generations of EBS alumni, students, staff, and friends. The tournament creates a special space where sport and friendship meet, and where business, education, and community creatively come together.
The jubilee tournament was filled with joy, excitement, and heartfelt reunions. The perseverance and team spirit seen on the course reflected EBS values in the best way – entrepreneurship, cooperation, and dedication. By the end of the day, the worthy winners were announced. A record-breaking 77 players in 20 teams took to the Sea Course at Estonian Golf & Country Club. In addition to the players, their companions joined the dinner and jubilee celebrations, turning the whole event into a true highlight for the EBS community.
The competition was played in the familiar Florida Scramble team format. The prestigious EBS golf trophy will now carry the names of the winners: Viivi Mannermaa, Leo Mäkipää, Nico Böckerman, and Aaron Salovaara. Second place went to Felix Ansas, Eino Rissanen, Henri Rosenlöf and Aive Uus. Third place was awarded to Niki Haara, Oliver Helenius, Aleksi Parkkinen and Priit Pärn. The evening culminated in a shared dinner in the festival tent, with our alumnus Tanel Padar giving an acoustic surprise concert. The special contest “closest to the pin” on hole 10 was won by Laire Piik in the women’s category and Kristian Kalle in the men’s category.
The EBS Alumni Golf Trophy has a unique story and symbolic meaning for the school. It is an esteemed silver challenge trophy with roots going back to 1889.
It took a long search to find such a worthy prize until it was finally discovered at an auction in Sweden. It turned out that the trophy’s former owner came from a noble Swedish family, which also produced descendants of military officers. One branch of this family is directly connected to Estonia – descendants of a Swedish nobleman who remained here after the Great Northern War, among whom was Madis Habakuk, the founder of EBS. Allegedly, the ancestors of Madis Habakuk and the trophy’s former owners were related. Therefore, this is not merely a sports prize, but a profound symbol linking the EBS community to history and honoring the school’s founder, Madis Habakuk.
As befitting a jubilee, the prize table was exceptionally generous and brought joy to all participants. As tradition has it, the players themselves contributed raffle prizes, which gave the evening an even warmer and more unifying community spirit, while also providing participants with the opportunity to introduce their own ventures.
We sincerely thank all participants, whose energy and sporting spirit made the day unforgettable! A big thank you also to the supporters, whose contribution ensured the smooth running of the tournament and gifted the players and guests with a truly beautiful day. As tradition dictates, raffle prizes donated by the players were also drawn, offering yet another way for them to present their companies and activities to the community.
“The Madis Habakuk Cup is not just a golf tournament, but a gathering of the community, where different generations of EBSters meet, connect, and create new opportunities for collaboration. It is symbolic and moving that this tradition has lasted for 20 years and, in its jubilee year, brought together a record number of participants,” said Sirli Kalep, Head of Alumni Relations at EBS.
The next EBS golf tournament will take place in less than a year – 21 September 2026 in Jõelähtme.
