Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Friday, 6 March 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka Golf in its initiative to popularise the sport in the country is taking this year’s Regional Junior golf championship to the coastal town of Hambantota, in the deep south of the country.
The tournament will be played over two days on 8 and 9 March at the picturesque links course. Yet again Prima Group has generously stepped forward as title sponsor whilst Shangri-La’s Hambantota will be the hospitality partner for this event which is part of a broader national junior golf development program.
“There is now a successful junior golf academy set in place by the SLGU. National Golfer Pradeep Kumara assigned to the academy by Sri Lanka Golf provides the youngsters advanced coaching and this program is very generously supported by Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa. Kausalya, a talented 16-year-old girl studying at Delgahalanda MMV in Hambantota is a proud product of this junior academy. Next week she will be competing with the best of Sri Lankan junior golfers just two years after taking up the sport. This was just what the SLG set out to achieve – taking a so-called elite sport to the grassroots and to unearth fresh new talent for possible future national representation,” says SLG Junior Subcommittee Chairperson Niloo Jayatilake.
Shangri-La’s Hambantota’s 18-hole par 70 golf course is spread across a vast coconut plantation with stunning views of the Indian Ocean, and is USGA (United States Golf Association) Course Rated and Slope Rated. The resort has always been at the forefront of developing the sport of golf by engaging youth from across the country – partnering with the Prima regional junior golf championship for the second year is part of its efforts to drive the sport to greater heights in the country.
The tournament will be conducted in the following age group categories as follows; 15-18 years (Gold Division), 12-14 years (Silver Division), 10 -11 years (Bronze Division) and 9 years and under (Copper Division). In the Boys’ Gold division stiff competitions is expected between Nirekh Thejwani, Yannik Kumara, S. Dhuwarshan, and Levon Niyarepola whilst in the girls division once again a keen tussle is expected between the rising starsTaniya Balasuriya and Kayla Perera.
In the Divisional Junior categories Reshan Algama Thejas Rathis Kanth, C. Dharaniyan from Nuwara Eliya and K. Danushan, Kaya Daluwatte and Shanal Binushka from Colombo will be strong contenders for the top spots.
Prima Sunrise, the title sponsor of this tournament, will provide nutrition for the players during the event.
The prize giving is scheduled for 9 March at 3 p.m.
