Milo Junior Golf: Dec 18 to 20

GOLF - Milo is now the main sponsor of Junior Golf in Sri Lanka. This year the Sri Lanka Milo Junior Open will be the 5th successive year of sponsorship. It will be held from December 18 to 20 at the RCGC.

Format of play is as follows: Championship Division age: 15-17+, Silver Division 10-14, Bronze Division 9 years and under.

The Sri Lanka junior golfers are extremely fortunate to have a vibrant Junior programme in place with much support from the Sri Lanka Golf Union and the individual clubs. Our juniors now participate regularly in the All India Junior, and other junior events in the region. The SLGU sent two Juniors this year to participate in the World Junior Championship in Scotland. Avinesh Naresh Kumar did particularly well to keep the Sri Lanka flag flying at St. Andrews, the home of golf.

Milo has been the most consistent supporter towards junior golf and everyone looks forward to their continued support in the future so that they could contribute towards producing world class golfers who would one day compete internationally and bring fame to Sri Lanka.

Ian Peiris of cricketing fame, observing the talent of our junior golfers came up with a sponsorship programme which was named the Sri Lanka Junior Championship in the late 1980s sponsored by Richard Pieris & Co. Out of this generous gesture we now have a core of talented golfers forming the national pool. The junior golfers are fortunate to have the services of a professional coach namely. Daniel Glenn to develop their technique in their formative years.

It is noteworthy to mention that two of our professional golfers Anura Rohana who participates in the Asian Circuit and Lalith Kumara who participates in the Indian Circuit and a prominent amateur Tissa Chandradasa are former Sri Lankan Junior Champion who have won National Amateur Titles overseas, Mithun Perera, son of Nandasena Perera who brought fame to Sri Lanka is another beneficiary of the Sri Lanka Junior Championship who is an emerging "noteworthy" golfer. The Sri Lanka Golf Union is confident that with the support of generous corporate companies such as Milo, junior golfers will be provided the opportunities they may otherwise not have, to improve their skills and reach world standards.

This year two of our promising junior golfers will be participating in the All India Junior Championship to be held in Bangalore from the 26th to 29th December 2006. They will be participating in the Milo Junior Championship just prior to their departure and provide the Milo Sri Lanka Junior Championship greater competition and thereby make this an interesting golfing event in the 2006 calendar.

The Sri Lanka Golf Union has introduced an under 9 years division to spot promising "golf swings" with the intention of inviting these young golfers to the Junior Clinic conducted by David Glenn.