Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Golf Championship for Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy tees off

The 4th annual Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Championship teed off on a positive note with over 70 players competing in the qualifying round to make the cut for the match play rounds scheduled to be played over three days. 

Juniors from Colombo, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya took part in the prestigious junior tournament, which marks the start of the junior golfing calendar for 2017. The tournament is played in four age group categories : 15-18 years (Overall/Gold Division), 12-14 years (Silver Division), 10-11 years (Bronze Division) and nine years and under (Copper Division). 

The winner of the overall championship will carry away the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy donated by her family in memory of one of Sri Lanka’s most talented sportswomen, a national champion at both tennis and golf. This year there will be a separate trophy for the girls’ winner as well, donated by the family of Kodagoda. The qualifying medal round has also been designated for junior national ranking points for the year.

In the Open/Gold Division age group under 19 years, T. Akash was the top qualifier with a gross score of 76. Last year’s winner of the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy, Vinod Weerasinghe, came up with the second best score of gross 77. Closely followed by Dilip Kumar 79, Armand Flamer Caldera 81, Vihan De Alwis 85, Januka Dilshan 85, R. Sugumar (VGCR) 86 and M. Prasath (VGCR) 87 making the cut for the match play segment of the tournament.

In the Silver Division age group - boys under 15 years, the top spot was taken by Dilshan Malinda with a gross score of 84. The other seven to qualify for the match play stage: Haroon Aslam 86, S. Dhuwarshan 89, T. Vikash 91, S.D.M. Hirushan 92, Isuru Praneeth 101, Himal Randima 106 and Amrik Perera 113.   

The girls to qualify in the same category: Taniya Balasuriya 78, Anelka Desinghe 94, Kiyara Dunuwilla 117, Binaara Dias 125, M. Premika 136 and Hiruni Devindi 150. The Bronze Division age group category, which plays 14 holes, saw stiff competition and a high standard of golf with top players Yannik Kumara 63, Nirekh Tejwani 63, K. Danushan 73, Sherin Mithara 75, Shanal Binuksha 76, L. Lidhurshan (NEGC) 83 and M.S. Sanjay (NEGC) 85. 

The most junior division, the Copper Division age group 9 years and under was dominated by Kaya Daluwatte, Reshan Algama and C. Dharaniyan (NEGC) taking the top three slots with a gross 54. The others to qualify for the match play segment of the game were Kavindra Samarasekera 55, Kvahn Tejwani 55, T. Deshan 58, Jacob Norton 59 and Thejas Rathis Kanth 62. The tournament is sponsored by Perera & Sons Bakers Ltd. whose service promise is ‘Great Taste’ since 1902.