Yannik Kumara A Future Professional Golfer in the making

Yannik Kumara’s golf journey began simply with a set of toy golf clubs he received for his third birthday from his grandparents. He picked up the sport with ease, with legendary golfer Nandesena Perera giving Kumara his first instruction at the young age of five. This also coincided with a period in his life when he explored his skills in tennis, with the hope of following in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather, who both represented Sri Lanka in the sport. However, as with everything else, Kumara chartered his own course in pursuing golf, which was crystalised when he won his first tournament in 2015 in the Bronze division of the Sri Lanka Junior Match Play Golf Championship. Five years on and with several accolades under his belt, the young golfer, under the tutelage of his coach, Jehan De Saram, continues to focus on his daily practice routine with great commitment and discipline. Kumara’s proficiency in golf was proven at the recently concluded Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) Club Championship, where he clinched the main Men’s golf event, emerging victorious from the finals by defeating a veteran golfer 8/7 in the final in the 36-hole match play format. What is important to note is that Kumara narrowly missed the opportunity to go down in history as the youngest golfer to win at RCGC by a mere three months. Having not made it past the semi-final encounter being defeated by Sachin de Silva just last year, it was heartening to see significant improvement in his performance in a span of a few months, indicating Kumara’s commitment to excel. This was his second-best effort in 2020, when earlier on, Kumara had ventured into the deep downsouth of Hambantota, where he accounted for the Gold Division win at the Regional Junior Golf Open Championship 2020 amongst other skilled golfers. Other key highlights in young Kumara’s golfing career include winning the Royal Colombo Golf Club Captain's Cup in 2017 and finishing eighth in the US Kids European World Championships in Scotland in 2018, both considered notable achievements to date. Believing in the importance of consistent training and guidance, Kumara also spends much time with golf veteran, Aruna Rohana, who supports him with expert advice on the golf course.