SLGU conducts Junior Golf Ranking Awards
View(s):
Taniya Balasuriya, Sherin Balasuriya and Arika Wickramasinghe (Gold/Silver Division Combined Girls) with NDB Wealth Chief Executive Officer Prabodha Samarasekera, Chief Operating Officer Ruwan Perera, President of NOCSL Suresh Subramanium and President of the Sri Lanka Golf Union, Air Chief Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama
The 2018 Sri Lanka Junior Golf Ranking Awards was recently concluded successfully with the support of NDB Wealth as the principle sponsor. This is the third consecutive year that NDB Wealth has stepped forward to generously support junior golf in Sri Lanka.
The current President of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL), Suresh Subramanium, a former national tennis champion and a keen golfer graced the occasion as the chief guest.
Addressing the young golfers Subramanium stated: “To excel at golf, one requires great discipline, dedication and determination. The young and upcoming golfers in this country should understand that they can achieve much through their hardwork. The Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU) and its officials are currently doing a fabulous job to help the players to improve their performances by organising events of this nature.”
Junior Golf in Sri Lanka has developed rapidly over the last five years with a number of initiatives and grassroot level development programmes carried out islandwide by the SLGU. What is most encouraging is that these programmes are identifying and nurturing a host of young talent from the rural areas so that golf is becoming less of an elite Colombo-centric sport. The current crop of talented juniors boasts of many such golfers some of whom seem set for future national or international representation.
“NDB Wealth is glad to be a part of a venture that promotes the young golfing talent enabling them to reach newer heights. Our sponsorship is tailored towards recognising the valuable contribution made by professional coaches and to provide the necessary equipment to facilitate and strengthen the development of the sport”, stated Prabodha Samarasekera, Chief Executive Officer of NDB Wealth.
Top ranked players (15-18 years), Haroon Aslam, S. Dhuwarshan and Dilshan Malinda with NDB Wealth Chief Executive Officer Prabodha Samarasekera, Chief Operating Officer Ruwan Perera, President of NOCSL, Suresh Subramanium and President of the Sri Lanka Golf Union, Air Chief Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama
The SLGU has developed a comprehensive and intensive ranking system primarily based on stipulated rounds and mandatory tournaments thereby granting the players access to the most prominent golfing courses in the island. This year the designated tournaments for ranking were the qualifying round of the Sri Lanka junior match play championship 2018, the match play segment as well as the three rounds of the Sri Lanka Junior Open Golf Championship 2018.
The ranking has been done according to four age categories ranging from below 9 years (Copper Division) and 10-11 years (Bronze Division), to 12-14 years old (Silver Division) and 15-18 years old (Gold Division) for boys and separately for the girls in the Silver and Gold divisions combined.