Kaya Daluwatte and K Dhanushan emerged girls and boys junior golf champions respectively and annexed the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy on offer at the Sri Lanka Junior Golf Match-Play championship that concluded at the RCGC course on Thursday (24).
The Match-Play Championship 2023 concluded with five excellent finals played at the RCGC on the final day.
The eighteen-year-old Dhanushan clinched his first Junior Match-Play Golf Championship title defeating 15-year-old Jevahn Sathasivam 3 & 2 that looked comfortable.
Jevahn who was also appearing in his first Junior Match-play final kept fighting back. When being 3 down after 5 holes to 1 down after 8 and 1 down after 13 holes he looked the winner, but the experienced Danushan held his nerve to win.
P&S Bakers also introduced a novel gesture of presenting the Winners ‘Blue Jacket’ to the Boys and Girls Champions 2023 presented by Avishka Perera Director P&S Bakers and Prashan Peiris the first winner of the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy in 2014 as the inaugural Junior Match-Play champion.
Kaya Daluwatte beat the more experienced Sherin Balasuriya in a thrilling finale after being all-square on the 18th hole. After having lost the 18th to Sherin and then in the sudden-death holes halved the 19th, 20th and Kaya clinched the title on the 21st to become the Junior National girls champion for the second time and take the Rukmini Kodagoda Trophy 2023. She also wore the novel Blue Jacket.
Adithya Weerasinghe from Anuradhapura Golf Academy played consistent golf throughout the tournament. He had beaten the top seed and finally defeated Kaiyan Johnpillai in an extremely closely fought final in the boys’ silver division for the age group category 12-14 plus years on the 19th hole.
Kaiyan was leading the finale from the start and went 3 up after 5 holes. Adithya birdied the 6th to be 2 down at the turn then Adithya fought back to be all square after the 13th.
Kaiyan won the 14th and 15th to be 2 up and Adithya fought back to make the match all square after the 18th. This forced a sudden-death decider where Adithya showed great spirits to grab the lead where it mattered most on the 19th hole and thus become the Silver Division Champion.
Kaiyan is also a great prospect for the future with the immense talent displayed including chipping -in from off the green and making some great Pars and Birdies.
Keya Abhayarathne convincingly defeated Kaitlyn Norton 6 & 5 in the final of the Silver Division for girls, age group category 12-14 plus to be the Silver Division girls champ.
Revaan Amarasinghe comfortably won the Boys Bronze Division Final 5 & 4 defeating Yehansa Senanayake while Genuli Abesundara beat Nimasha Dhamli 3 & 2 to win the Bronze Division for girls in an All=Anuradhapura final.
Jaeden Sathasivam clinched the Copper Division title in a very close battle beating Yuvan Rathis Kanth 1 up, in the 9 plus and under age category.
The exciting final matches in the varied categories were followed by a solemn prize-giving graced by Shanthani Perera, the chief guest, president Sri Lanka Golf Ranil Peiris along with Srima Seneviratne Director P&S Bakers.