Sensational golfer Kayla class of her own
A young girl, Kayla Perera who took up golf when she was only 7 years old, has created a name for herself after bringing many top-class lady golfers second to her in the last decade. In the last tournament she proved that she is a class above the rest when she accounted for the Royal Colombo Golf Course (RCGC) Ladies’ winner. She was in sparkling form on both days at the Club championship which she won a year back and reclaimed it in grand style in the 2020 event. She was pin point accurate in her strokes and a treat to watch at the RCGC in front of a packed house. Kayla naturally got golf in her blood, which she preferred over the game of tennis, as both her parents played at RCGC while her grandfather too was a golfer at the same venue for many decades. So it was like ‘a duck taking to water’ for Kayla to get in to golf.
Kayla attended RCGC Junior clinic and kept working on her game. Her parents spent a lot of time with her during her training and regional tournaments in Sri Lanka and overseas. Her parents always travelled with her. Kayla obtained the RCGC Ladies handicap when she was only 11 years old and started playing the Ladies segment as well. Due to her good performance in tandem, the Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU) selected her to represent the country in many international tournaments in Asia and Scotland.
Kayla got her primary education at Ladies’ College and is currently studying at Universal College Lanka. Her ambition is to go to the USA for studies plus continue her game of golf. She is on track to becoming a professional golfer for Sri Lanka after her studies as learning the finer points in golf with some top class facilities on offer in the USA would improve her tremendously.
Speaking to Daily Mirror, RCGC Captain and former Sri Lanka Under-19 cricket captain, Navin De Silva said,“rcgc, being the epitome of golf in Sri Lanka, is proud to say that we have produced Sri Lanka’s future golfing prodigy in the form of Kayla. Sri Lanka’s golf is on the rise with golfing youngsters such as Kayla,yannik Kumara and Haroon Aslam stamping their class in the recently concluded events with a lot of potential.”
Kayla’s father Chanaka Perera said, “It’s not an easy game for most kids to fall in love with, but Kayla from her very young days took to the sport with a lot of passion. Balancing her studies and golf was also no easy task as golf takes up 4 – 5 hours a day, but with her perseverance and dedication, she managed this well and kept her grades up too. We are extremely proud of what she has achieved to date and very thankful to all who have contributed to her success thus far.”
Kayla said,“given that I started playing golf when I was very young, balancing such a time-consuming sport with my school work has been a way of life.the constant support and guidance I have received from my parents and my coaches, Jehan and Chris, helped bring me to the level I am today. Ladies’ College where I studied up to my O/LS last year and UCL, the institution in which I am currently studying, have been extremely supportive of my golf and have helped me maintain my grades. The next goal is to play College golf while pursuing my higher studies in the US.”