Armand Flamer Caldera (16) Junior Gold Golf Champ
Teen sensation Armand Flamer Caldera (16), displaying superb Golfing skills on the final day, clinched the Prima Regional Junior Championship in the Gold division in a playoff with Vinod Weerasinghe at the Regional Junior Open Golf Championship held at the Victoria Golf and Country Resort(VGCR) in Kandy. Armand was 5 strokes behind leader Vinod, going in to the last round, and then he piled on the pressure being 1 under par after 10 holes, quickly closing in on Vinod. It was an exciting playoff, where both players matched shot for shot, but Armand’s held his nerve and proved himself worthy of the coveted title. The Gold division was for the 15-17 years age group.
The crowd-following was evident of the growing popularity of the sport which saw over 70 juniors compete for top honours at the VGCR. Januka Dilshan was 2nd Runner-up with T. Akash 4th. In the Silver division for the 12-14 years age group, experienced Taniya Minel Balasuriya playing consistent Golf over the two days, enjoyed a comfortable win with an aggregate score of 167. P.A. Dimuthu and Dhuvarshan were tied on 175, but Dimuthu went on to be 1st Runner-up while Dhuvarshan was 2nd Runner-up. In the Bronze Division of the 10-11 years age group, Shevin Mithara with a total score of 119, had a comfortable win over his nearest rival Nirekh Tejwani, who finished with a final score of 122.
Yannik Kumara was 2nd Runner-up with a total score of 128. K. Danushan, showing much promise for the future with excellent temperament, was the 3rd Runner-up with a total score of 133. In the Copper Division, for the 9 and under age group, Shanal Binuksha with a total score of 85, snatched the most junior category win in style. Kvahn Tejwani was 1st Runner-up with a score of 92. Musa Shariff of the UAE, with a total score of 102, was 2nd Runner-up and Pranav Muralidaran was 3rd Runner-up with a final score of 105. The Championship conducted by the Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU) was sponsored by Prima Sunrise Bread. SLGU Secretary Ken De Alwis presented the winners’ trophy, while Sai Kasturiarachie and Arosha Abeywarne, Manager Events and Customer Relations respectively of VGCR, gave away the age group category prizes.
Final Results:
Gold Division: Armand Flamer Caldera- 155, Vinod Weerasinghe- 155, Januka Dilshan- 160 and T. Akash- 175.
Silver Division: Taniya Minel Balasuriya- 167, P.A. Dimuthu- 175, Dhuvarshan- 175 and Kayla Perera- 180.
Bronze Division: Sherin Mithara- 119, Nirekh Tejwani- 122, Yannik Kumara- 128 and K.Danushan- 133.
Copper Division: Shanal Binuksha- 85, Kvahn Tejwani- 92, Musa Shariff (UAE)- 102 and Pranav Muralidaran- 105