Several schools join NDB Private Wealth Junior Masters Golf Championship 2018 Team Event

NDB Wealth CEO Prabodha Samarasekera with Taniya Minel Balasuriya, the overall winner of last year’s tournament. RCGC official (left) looks on

Sri Lanka’s most popular junior golf tournament, the NDB Private Wealth Junior Masters Golf Championship, is witnessing an overwhelming response from schools for its first-ever Team Event. 

Many national, private and international schools have already signed up for this new initiative, which has the overall goal of further developing junior golf at schools-level in Sri Lanka. 

It was proposed by the Junior Sub Committee of Sri Lanka Golf, the national body for the sport, to popularise and build team competitiveness among junior golfers. Ultimately, it will lead to interest by students, parents and old boys and girls such as is seen in other sports like cricket, tennis and rugby.

To date, British School, D.S. Senanayake College, Sri Jayawardanapura Balika Vidyalaya, President’s College Kotte, Killinochchi Central College, Senarathwela Maha Vidyala Digana and Trinity College Kandy have registered, with several more schools expected to join prior to applications closing on 6 August. “The initiative to develop Junior Golf here in Sri Lanka is something that I wholeheartedly support. Boys from Trinity College Kandy are delighted to be a part of it. Golf is a great game for both boys and girls; and, unusually for a competitive sport, it can be enjoyed throughout one’s life,” said Andrew Fowler-Watt, Principal of Trinity College, Kandy.

“NDB Wealth is very pleased with the excellent schools participation we are seeing for the first-ever Team Event of the NDB Private Wealth Junior Masters Golf Championship 2018. It is heartening to witness our efforts to promote junior golf in Sri Lanka being reciprocated in this way. To that end, we encourage all enthusiastic junior golfers to register, and avail themselves of the chance to compete against the best of the best in Sri Lanka. You will also get a valuable NDB Wealth account for simply participating and, if you win, there are additional attractive prizes and trophies on offer,” said Prabodha Samarasekera, CEO of NDB Wealth.

Scheduled for Wednesday, 8 August, at the Royal Colombo Golf Course (RCGC), the NDB Private Wealth Junior Masters Golf Championship registration desk at the Sri Lanka Golf office is currently open. You may also apply via local clubs island-wide or by contacting Duminda at the Sri Lanka Golf office on 0714327343 or emailing him at [email protected].

This year, for the first time ever, the competition has added a Team Event open to students from any registered National, Private or International School in Sri Lanka. Schools may field one or more teams of two players below 19 years. Team pairings can be 2 girls or 2 boys, or 1 girl and 1 boy, where all will play 18 holes. Playing tee markers will be as per the Senior or Junior Individual Events specified below and the winner of the schools Team Event will be the team with the lowest aggregate score.    

At the same time, the NDB Private Wealth Junior Masters Golf Championship will continue its highly popular Individual Event, now in its fourth year, which in 2018 has been narrowed down to a Senior and a Junior Division, as well as being further broken down into a Boys and a Girls competition. 

Junior golfers will now compete for the following titles: Senior Division (over 12 years and below 19 years) - Boys Winner, Boys 1st Runner-up and Boys 2nd Runner-up; and Girls Winner, Girls 1st Runner-up and Girls 2nd Runner-up. Junior Division (under 12 years) - Boys Winner, Boys 1st Runner-up and Boys 2nd Runner-up; and Girls Winner, Girls 1st Runner-up and Girls 2nd Runner-up.