Golf: SLGU names Sri Lanka team for HSBC International Junior Championship

The Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU), the national body for Golf in Sri Lanka together with HSBC will host the first ever international junior golf championship to be played among the countries in the region; Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

Unfortunately the Indian contingent had to withdraw at the last minute due to unavoidable circumstances. 

The Indian Golf Union has however conveyed their best wishes for the tournament as it is the only one of its kind to be played in the region.

The event which creates a platform for our juniors to compete among the best in the Indian sub-continent was the brainchild of the SLGU Junior Sub Committee and was conceived with the singular aim of raising the standard of the sport in the country. 

Each of the countries will field a team comprising of 4 boys and 2 girls. 

The event will be conducted by the SLGU and the format structured on a hybrid version of similar international team events played worldwide such as Asia Pacific Golf Team Championship and the Ryder Cup in the USA.  

After much deliberation the Sri Lanka team was selected by the national golf selectors headed by Captain Navin de Silva. 

Experienced Januka Dilshan of Susumayawardana College and Sri Lanka Junior Open 2015 winner has been named as Captain of the six member team. 

The team also comprises16 year old Vinod Weerasinghe of the British School who is the currently ranked No.1 nationally and has many accolades to his credit such as winning the Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Championship 2016 and Sri  Lanka Junior Open 2016 winner. 

Adding further strength to the squad will be18 year old T. Akash of Susumayawardana College who is the current Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Champion 2017. 

Versatile sportsman 17-year-old Armand Flamer-Caldera of S. Thomas' College Mount Lavinia who represented Sri Lanka in 2011 and 2012 in the IODA Asian Championship in Sailing now makes his national debut in golf. 

He is currently ranked number 2 nationally and has had a host of strong wins in the recent past including the Kandy Regional Junior Open winner 2016 and Runner up in the Sri Lanka Junior Open 2016. 

The two girls represented on the team are 16 year old Taniya Balasuriya of Sri Jayawardenapura Girls School, Kotte. 

She has numerous national wins to her credit such as the Sri Lanka Ladies Stroke Play Championship 2016, Kandy Regional Junior Open 2015, 2016 winner and also winning the Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Championship in 2015, 2016.

Taniya has considerable international exposure having participated in many overseas golf events. 

The youngest member of the team is 14 year old Kayla Perera, a student of Ladies College who won the Sri Lanka Junior Open Golf Championship in 2016 Silver division (in the age group 12 – 14+). 

She too has played in numerous overseas tournaments and also participated in the prestigious British Junior Open played in Scotland in 2016. 

Preceding the International team championship an individual event will be open to current junior golfers in the country on August 9, which is also to be played at the Royal Colombo Golf Club. 

This will be based on four age groups and categorised as; 15-18+ years (Gold Division), 12-14+ years (Silver Division), 10 -11+ years (Bronze Division) and 9 years and under (Copper Division).

So far there have been 13 foreign entries for the tournament. 

The HSBC Junior International Golf championship is supported by several prestigious event partners. 

Cinnamon Life as the hospitality partnerand the will hostall the international teams whilst MAS Kreeda, the Apparel partner have generously provided sportswear for the grass root programme.

IMORICH from Elephant House has come forward as the indulgence partner.

In addition Olu water will support the event as the official beverage with Callaway Golf, the renowned Golf brand as the equipment sponsor.