Young Yannik sets sights on PGA Tour
Yannik Kumara
British School of Colombo student, 14-year-old Yannik Kumara underlined his credentials as a golf prodigy when he annexed the Royal Colombo Golf Championship defeating a 14-time champion Rusi Captain 8&7 in the 36-hole Matchplay final last Sunday in his second attempt after having lost to a different opponent Sachin de Silva in the semi-finals last time.
“I just decided to just play my game. Just play steady golf and hopefully if he cracked under the pressure, I win. I made a few mistakes and then started playing well. This is one of my best achievements,” said Yannik when asked how he managed to beat 55-year-old Captain.
Yannik was in sublime form in the qualifying round being placed second after firing a personal best score of two-under par and clawing his way back in the final. He seized the opportunity when veteran Captain 4-putted on the 10th hole and Yannik never looked back thereafter.
“He was leading 2 Up at 10th. I took lead after that leading 4 Up after the first round. I just kept adding to the lead in the second round being 8 Up after another nine,” said the talented youngster, who revels in Matchplay format where there is a chance to bounce back.
Asked what was the best moment in the final, he said: “On the third hole of the second round, I played that really well. I had a par but chipped in.”
It was the second triumph for Yannik this year having won the Gold Division at the Regional Junior Golf Open Championship in Hambantota before the viral outbreak.
Hailing from a family with a great sporting pedigree -his father Senaka and grandfather P.S. Kumara played tennis for Sri Lanka while his maternal grandfather Nihal Boralessa and aunt Anuskha Boralessa were reputed golfers – at the tender age of nine Yannik made a decision to focus on golf.
“At about nine I started practicing a lot. After that I played tournaments and kept on winning. So I decided to give it a go to turn pro,” said Yannik, who has won a bagful of titles since 2014 including the Regional Junior Open Championship in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Hambantota.
The high point of his career was winning the Royal Colombo Golf Club Captains Cup in 2017 and finishing eight in the US Kids European World Championship in Scotland in 2018.
“This is the first time I shot under par in a tournament in my qualifying round. That was really good,” said Yannik who has his sights on turning professional.
“I think I will go on a scholarship to University and then turn pro or before University if I am good enough will qualify and turn pro. I will start off on the Indian circuit. My goal is to play on the PGA tour,” he said.
A product of RCGC club professional and coach Jehan de Saram, Yannik is already learning the tricks of the trade from veterans like Aruna Rohana.
“The pros at RCGC help me a lot. There are lot of things I learn from them because they have played on the tour. They know tricks and help me a lot, especially Aruna Rohana. I play with him a lot,” said the diminutive Yannik, who dedicates four hours to practice golf and is already walking the talk like a professional.
“I have a good short game. I am very steady and don’t miss,” he said which perhaps sums up the determination and confidence of young gun Yannik Kumara.