Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Championship 2023 tee off tomorrow
The Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Golf Championship for this year, will tee off tomorrow at the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) course. The first day’s play will be a medal round and qualifying round followed by match play segment of the tournament from Tuesday to Friday.
The most important junior golf event of the country is sponsored by Perera and Sons Bakers, the family company of the late Rukmini Kodagoda, under the main trophy on offer is named.
The junior match play championship is held yearly in honour of Rukmini Kodagoda, who won the Sri Lanka Amateur Championship in 1979 and several other club tournaments. ‘Ruki’, as she was popularly known, established herself as one of Sri Lanka’s talented sportswomen, having won national titles and represented Sri Lanka in both tennis and golf.
In tennis she won the national women’s and mixed doubles titles partnering top players during her era such as Ranjani Jayasuriya, Wendy Molligoda and Bernard Pinto on several occasions. She also held the prestigious position of Chairman Sri Lanka Ladies Golf Union in 1990 and 1991 and Captain of the Ladies Section of RCGC.
“The tournament is played for the eighth year and it’s nice to see the test of mental grit of our junior golfers given the different match play formats of the championship. It also inspires me to pay tribute to a lady icon of sports, Rukmini Kodagoda through this competition”, Niloo Jayatilake, member of Sri Lanka Golf Union and Chairperson of its Junior Sub Committee stated.
The inaugural Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Golf Championship was played in 2014 with Prashan Pieris winning the title. The tournament was not played during Covid-19 lockdown periods but resumed in 2022. The winners in 2022 were Kaya Daluwatte, in the Girl’s Division and Haroon Aslam in the Boy’s Division. Players will compete in four age categories — Gold Division (15-18 years), Silver Division (12-14 years), Bronze Division (10-11 years) and Copper Division (9 years and under).
The overall winner of the championship will carry away the Rukmini Kodagoda Challenge Trophy in both boys and girls categories. The tournament format will be based on a qualifying stroke play round for each age category, with the best eight qualifying scores going on to play in the match play knockout finals to determine the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper Division winners. However, girls in the Gold and Silver divisions and the boys in the Gold category will be eligible to vie for the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy and the title of junior boys champion and junior girls champion respectively.