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| Sunday, 28 December 2003 |
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Lalith Kumara wins B'desh Open golf Title BY LAL GUNASEKERA Lalith Kumara, who won the Bangladesh Open Amateur Golf Championship for the first occasion in four attempts at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka recently, is desperately seeking to win the Sri Lanka Open Amateur Title and another international tournaments before he turns professional - perhaps after the 2005 Asian Games. Lalith Kumara speaking to the Sunday Observer at the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) said that his ambitions will not stop till he turns 'pro' and do well on the APGA Tour and bring fame and honour to the country. He said that he was confident of finding sponsors to help him in this venture. He was fourth at Dhaka last year (2002), but this year was successful in bagging the title for the first time in four attempts. He won by 2 strokes - 289 (73, 72, 69, 75), from Bangladesh's Siddikur Rahman who had rounds of 70, 72, 72, 77 for a total of 291. Three others represented Sri Lanka at Dhaka. They were Tissa Chandradasa who is employed at the Dubai Golf Club for the past 2 1/2 years (finished fourth on 292), Amarapathma (14th on 320) and reigning Sri Lanka champion Prabhakaran (16th on 322). Lalith Kumara said that he was very disappointed not to have won the Sri Lanka Open Amateur Title at Nuwara Eliya recently. He said: "I led upto the third-round by 4 short, but had a poor round in the fourth as I found it difficult to grip my club due to the rain, and was runner-up to prabhakaran. Playing in the Sri Lanka Open Amateur Championships since 1999, Lalith Kumara, lost in the 'quarters' twice in 1999 ad 2001, third-round in 2000 and second round in 2002. Perhaps next year (2004) at the RCGC, he will win the title. Winning in Dhaka was his second international triumph. He won the All-India Open Amateur Championship in Chandigar in 1999. His first attempt overseas was at the Singapore Open Amateur Championship in 1998 and in the same year finished fourth at the Pakistan Amateur Open Championship where he finished runner-up last year (2002) in Islamabad. Lalith Kumara now 25, first held a club in his hands in the early 1990s as he lives just near the rail track on Model Farm Road where the RCGC is situated. He won the Sri Lanka Junior Open (Under 1`3 and Under 15) twice as well as the Under-19 title on two occasions in 1993 and 1994. His first set of clubs was donated by Kumar Boralessa. Shiran de Soysa, the present President of the Sri Lanka Gold Union (SLGU) too, presented Lalith Kumara with a set of clubs, and at present, he uses the set given to him by Rusi Captain. Two others who have helped Lalith Kumara are M.J. Mansoor and Rohan Beckelman. Kumara said that he is playing well at the moment, having even equalled the course record (5 under) of Nandasena Perera at Nuwara-Eliya at the recent Sri Lanka Open Amateur Championship. He practices daily from 7 am to 12 noon and then is on duty at the RCGC where he is employed as a Starter Marshall. Lalith Kumara looks after his widowed mother and has five elder sisters who are all married and living with their respective families. Lalith too is 'registered' to Prabani Sashika who is employed at Odel and hopes to' take his wedding' in the very near future. Lalith Kumara's next assignment is at the All-India Open Amateur championship at Calcutta in February next year (2004). He has travelled widely, playing in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Nepal and Thailand. |
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