Harris Gold Medal Golf – Lanktilleke the proud winner at NEGC

Sujeeva Lankatilleke (73) had to overcome many hurdles before grabbing the 126th annual Gold Medal overall title of the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club (NEGC) on Sunday only by a single stroke. He was closely followed by the 14-year-old Prashantha Peiris (74) and Nimal Perera (74). Prashantha was awarded the Silver while Nimal received the bronze.

The Gold Medal championship organised by the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club for the 126th year was sponsored by Harris Ceylon Pvt. Ltd. for the second year and saw leading golfers from Colombo, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in action. The weekend being a long one enabled all golfers to enjoy playing in front of a good holiday crowd along with their family members.

When the first set of golfers arrived to tee off, the weather gods were not in favour with the cold, rain and mist; Undeterred, the golfers kept persevering and the weather kept improving during the course of the day.

Sujeeva was the first who managed to tee off and to keep his strokes in full control throughout the 18 holes, which covers a distance of 5,543 meters.

Sujeeva at the post event ceremony said: “It was tough from the word go but my confidence assisted me to win this medal. It was a tough battle playing with well experienced golfers who were familiar with the course. A special commendation should go to the organisers and sponsors for a very well organised event.”

Young Prasantha stated: “It was interesting to play with most of the experienced golfers in this country. I have been playing golf since the age of eight and this medal has encouraged me to reach higher standards in my golfing career.”

At the Awards ceremony Chairman of Harris Ceylon Michael Dias, a member of the NEGC for over 30 years, stated: “For a perfect finish to the game of golf, the right tools need to be used; likewise when painting one’s home, the right brush tool needs to be used for a perfect finish. Harris brushes have been a household name for over 75 years and the company is proud to have sponsored the Annual Gold medal Golf Tournament for the past two years.”

RESULTS

A Division

Winner: Sudath Kumara

Runner up: Z. Sikander

B Division

Winner: Lalin Samarawickrema

Runner up: Primal Wijenayake

C Division

Winner: Y.Udalagama

Runner up: Chandima Desinghe

Gold Medal: Sujeeva Lankatilleke

Silver Medal: Prasantha Peiris

Bronze Medal: Nimal Perera