Sport of golf chockfull of potential: Priath Fernando

Friday, 21 February 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

“The game of golf in Sri Lanka has started to take off, with one time caddies now being recognized for their prowess and skill; succeeding professionally,” Chairman of United Tractors and Equipment (UTE) and Vice President of the Sri Lanka Golf Union, Priath Fernando said. Although it all began in 1970, when H.L. Premadasa, a caddy, stamped his class by becoming the first winner of the Ceylon Open as it was called then, before that the only golf tournament for caddies was amongst themselves. Professional golf never really became popular in Sri Lanka because sponsors were hard to come by. The Ceylon Golf Union which later became the Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU) had to depend on individual golf enthusiasts to donate money to make up the purse.

Since then other caddies too showed the top amateurs that one doesn’t have to be privileged to win the title of best golfer in Ceylon or Sri Lanka. Sumathipala in 1971, Vemboo in 1975 (a caddy turned coach who happened to teach Priath’s mother, the renowned Pam Fernando), J.A.J. Perera and A.A. Sunil Perera all started out as caddies, and rose to the professional ranks through winning the open. Priath’s father Pin Fernando who still holds the record for the most number of amateur titles by a Sri Lankan was also amongst the winners of the Sri Lanka Open Title. UTE took over the title sponsorship of the Sri Lanka Open in 2011. Today, the field has grown to the point where a qualifying round has to be held and a cut off imposed after two rounds. Subsequent caddies turned professional such as 7 time SL Open title holders Nandesena Perera and Anura Rohana who brought fame to Sri Lanka as amateurs when they brought home silver medals from the Asian Games and Lalith Kumara the first Sri Lankan who held the Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka Amateur titles concurrently also turned professional. With Indian professional golf also growing in prize money and numbers, other Sri Lankan caddies such as Prabagaran from Nuwara Eliya and Thangaraja originally from Water’s Edge, have found it lucrative to turn professional. Mithun Perera, the son of Nandesena, initially followed his father’s footsteps but now is creating giant strides in the professional circuit being the only Sri Lankan who currently qualifies for both the Indian and Asian professional tours. There is no doubt that UTE is proud to be associated with Sri Lanka’s best golfers and happy to be their stepping stone to greater success. The choice to sponsor the top golf event of Sri Lanka was an easy one for Priath as it is a sport close to his heart. The Pin Fernando Grand Prix which is a monthly event for all amateur golfers was initiated in July 2011 by him and his cousin Ana Punchihewa (former President of Sri Lanka Cricket in 1995-96) to help non club member golfers to get and maintain handicaps as required for amateur golfers. This event has now been recognized by the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) body. Priath and his family personally sponsor this event conducted by the SLGU. Apart from this, though, golf is the fastest growing sport in the world, with countries like India and China building almost 300 courses per year over the last few years. As one of the world’s richest sports (second only to Formula 1 racing) there is also a high potential for Sri Lanka to become a golf tourism destination – Asia attracts 15 million tourists for golf alone. In fact, since golf was named an Olympic sport, there is potential for Sri Lankans to excel at this sport at the Olympics as well, with a team being groomed for the upcoming Games, said Priath, wearing his SLGU VP hat. The benefits of golf extended beyond simply developing Sri Lanka in the sports arena- it could bring the country much-needed foreign exchange earnings as well. “It is an established fact that Property prices shoot up when there is a golf course in the vicinity,” said Priath. In addition, much of the Golf Club’s revenue comes from tourists who pay temporary membership fees. Promoting the sport of golf helps the country as a whole as it indirectly brings in tourists. Yet despite the game’s burgeoning potential, promoting the sport in Sri Lanka has been beset with challenges. To build an internationally accepted championship course requires a minimum of 150 acres. The Royal Colombo Golf Club currently has less than a 100 resulting in criss-crossing of fairways and holes making it quite hazardous on crowded days. The marshy lands in and around the course are home to a wide variety of fauna and flora but with the demand for more housing from not only the living but now even the dead, the historic and prestigious Royal Colombo Golf Club faces constant threats. “At UTE we truly believe that golf will start to grow rapidly in Sri Lanka and that capturing the title sponsorship of the Sri Lanka Open at this stage will give us the right type of exposure and association with the best which jells well with our main product brand Caterpillar which is the market leader in Sri Lanka as it is worldwide,” added Priath, now changing hats and putting on his corporate colours. “The game of golf allows for the underprivileged to take their passion and turn it into a viable profession. As such it really is a valuable contribution to society to promote this sport, which is why UTE has taken the decision to sponsor tournaments consistently for the past three years,” said Priath “The potential of golf in Sri Lanka is fantastic. Although we currently have just a handful of professional golfers out of a total of around 450 golfers, we are certain that these numbers will grow rapidly within the next few years,” said Priath very confidently, “which is why I’m prepared to put my money where my mouth is.”