Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Golf Championship sponsored by P & S for 6th consecutive year

First row (from left): Junior Sub-Committee Member Priyanga Hapugalle, Junior Sub Committee Chairperson Niloo Jayathilake, and Junior Sub-Committee Members Chandana Weerasinghe and Tharanga Gunasekara. Second row (from left): RCGC Vice Captain W.A.K. Fernando, family member Shanthini Perera, P & S CEO Gihan Perera, Sri Lanka Golf President Air Chief Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama, P & S Corporate Affairs Manager Ruvini Kariyawasan, Sri Lanka Golf Secretary Nishan Navaratne

• Keen tussle expected for the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy

The Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Golf Championship will tee off this year on 8 April at the Royal Colombo Golf Club. For the 6th consecutive year, this prestigious junior event is being sponsored by P&S Bakers Limited., the family company of the late Rukmini Kodagoda. The junior match play championship is held in honour of Rukmini Kodagoda, who won the Sri Lanka Amateur Women’s Championship in 1979 and several other club tournaments. 

Ruki, as she was popularly known, established herself as one of Sri Lanka’s talented sports women having won national titles and represented Sri Lanka in both tennis and golf. She also held the prestigious position of Chairman Sri Lanka Ladies Golf Union in 1990 and 1991 and Captain of the Ladies Section of the Royal Colombo Golf Club. “This tournament is a fitting tribute to a lady of charismatic personality and an inspiring sportswoman who was a national champion both in golf and tennis, a remarkable achievement, “said Sri Lanka Golf Union Member and Junior Sub Committee Chairperson Niloo Jayatilake.

This tournament will follow the lines of a match play format first introduced in the British Amateur Championship (the oldest match-play event in the world) in 1881, and then followed by the Ceylon Amateur Golf Championship (the second oldest Match-play Championship in the world). 

Junior golf in the country has developed rapidly over the years with the many junior development programs initiated by Sri Lanka Golf. The current crop of juniors have many talented boys and girls amongst them, many of who seem well set for future national representation. The inaugural Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Golf Championship was played in 2014 with Prashan Pieris winning the title. Unfortunately, last year’s winner of the Boys title Vinod Weerasinghe is unlikely to participate as he is currently undergoing training in the US. However the Girls’ winner Taniya Balasuriya will defend her title.

Players will compete in four age categories comprising Gold Division (15 -18 years), Silver (12-14 years), Bronze Division (10-11 Years) and Copper Division (9 years & under).

The overall winner of the championship will carry away the Rukmini Kodagoda Challenge Trophy in the Boys and Girls categories. The tournament format will be based on a qualifying stroke play round for each age category, with the best eight qualifying scores going on to play in the match play knock out finals to determine the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper Division winners. However, Girls in the Gold and Silver Division and the Boys in the Gold categories will be eligible to vie for the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy and the title of Junior Boys Champion and Junior Girls Champion respectively. 

“P & S is delighted once again to support Sri Lanka Golf and especially junior golf by creating a competitive platform for the juniors to show their mark. Success in tournaments of this nature will be the stepping stone for international competition. Also we are happy to note that the qualifying medal round of the championship in all age categories would be a designated round to accrue points for national junior ranking for the year 2019,” said P & S CEO/Managing Director Gihan Perera.