Golf: Keen tussle to win Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Championships

The Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Golf Championship Inaugurated in 2014 an annual feature tournament arousing immense spectator interest and providing experience to juniors in handling pressure as a Golfer, will get underway at the Royal Colombo Golf Club from April 2 to 5. 

The Match-play format introduced in the British Amateur Championship the oldest Match-play event in the world in 1881 and then followed by the Ceylon Amateur Golf Championship, the second oldest Match-play Championship in the world. 

Perera & Sons Bakers Ltd the family company of the late Rukmini Kodagoda will continue their sponsorship for the fifth consecutive year.

The Match-play format will be worked off in four Age Categories Comprising Gold Division (15 -18 years) Silver (12-14 years) Bronze Division (10-11 Years) and Copper Division (9 years and under). 

The winner of the overall championship would carry away the Rukmini Kodagoda Challenge Trophy.

Last year for the first time the junior girls segment was carved out into a separate division and the first winner of the Girls ‘Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy’ Taniya Minel Balasuriya has improved leaps and bounds since that victory. 

“I am delighted to see Taniya Minel’s progress winning the Sri Lanka Ladies Amateur Golf Championship as well, in the Match-play format” said Gihan Perera, Managing Director of P&S. 

The qualifying medal round of the championship in all Age Categories is a designated round to accrue points for national junior ranking for the year 2018 followed up by match-play and such tournaments have molded our junior golfers to secure win’s overseas and locally as in the case of junior girl Taniya. 

“Taniya Minel has done us proud finishing Runner-up in the All India Junior Golf Championship and her excellent golf to win the National Title and the Ladies Stroke-play Championship recently confirms the value of the Junior Match-play Championship,” said Priath Fernando, President of the Sri Lanka Golf Union. 

Thus the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy sponsored by P&S is fast becoming one of the prestigious tournaments in the yearly junior calendar given the exciting format of match playwhich is one of a kind. 

The tournament will be played over four days and will comprise of four age groups with Girls and Boys in the Gold and Silver Division played separately, since the Boys play off the Men’s Tees and the Girls off the Ladies Tee Markers. 

The Bronze and Copper Divisions Boys and Girls will play –off the same Tee Markers. 

• 15-18 years (Overall/Gold Division) 
• 12-14 years (Silver Division) 
• 10 -11years (Bronze Division) 
• 9 years and under (Copper Division) 

The manner of play would be based on a qualifying stroke play round for each Age Category, with the best eight qualifying to play Match Play Knockout, quarter-final, semi-final and final to determine the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper Division winners. 

However, the Girls in the Gold and Silver Division and the Boys in the Gold Categories will vie for the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy and the Title of Junior Boys Champion and Junior Girls Champion respectively.

Additionally, there would be many prizes on offer such as best gross score in the qualifying round and plate winner for non-qualifiers on day two best gross score. 

This year the 2017 winner T. Akash is overage and Vinod Weerasinghe the 2017 runner-up is expected to win the Junior Boys Title having progressed well through the year, whilst Armand Flamer Caldera, Vihan De Alwis, Sathsara Dilshan and P A Dimuthi from Victoria Golf Club Resort Kandy, can pose the threat. 

Taniya Minel is expected to overcome the challenge from Kayla Perera and retain her Title as Junior Girls Champion. 

In the Boys Silver Category S. Duwarshan from Nuwara Eliya Golf Club is likely to retain his Title having won in 2017, with Dilshan Malinda posing the main challenge. 

The Bronze Category is well contested with Yannik Kumara the 2017 winner pressed by the fast progressing, big hitting Nirekh Tejwani and consistent performer Shanal Binushka. 

Whilst Nirekh’s younger brother Kvahn Tejwani will push Reshan Algama the 2017 winner and Kaya Daluwatte the 2017 Runner-up in the Copper Division. 

The junior match play championship is a fitting tribute to 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 sports women having won national titles and represented Sri Lanka in both tennis and golf. 

She also held the prestigious position of Chairman Sri Lanka Ladies Golf Union in 1990 and 1991 and Captain of the Ladies Section of the Royal Colombo Golf Club.

“This tournament has helped toraise the standard of junior golf and enabled these youngsters to achieve a way of mental toughness required for the format of match play.We can alreadysee the development of future Champions in the sport” Niloo Jayatilake,member Sri Lanka Golf Union – Chairperson Junior Sub Committee. 

The Qualifying Round for all categories will commence on Monday 2nd April and the Match-play segment begins with the quarter-final on Tuesday (3), semi-final on Wednesday (4) and the final in all categories on Thursday (5). 

The prize giving will follow the Finals at the Royal Colombo Golf Club.