Golf champion Prabagaran needs to be recognised and encouraged

Richard DWIGHT

GOLF: From bell boy, caddie, course security officer to scale the heights last week, to become the winner of the All India Amateur Golf Championship is indeed the success story of the persevering 26-year-old Nuwara Eliya golfer Kandasamy Prabagaran.

This rare, few and far between splendid achievement by Prabagaran, is all the more praiseworthy in that there has been just three other Sri Lankans earlier who reigned thus. One was the former golfing champion, the late Pin Fernando who won the coveted title in 1952 and 1954, Nandasena Perera in 1989 and Lalith Kumara in 1999.

Heartening and encouraging as it is, Prabagaran’s triumph on India soars even higher.

Simply because it comes from an affable young man belonging to a poor family, where through the years, deprivation in one form or other has been his experience.

Oblivious to the entertainment and other delights enjoyed by middle class and affluent homes, he learnt to be content with his meagre lot - spending his formative years in the company of his parents, his elder brother and younger sister in a modest quarters provided by the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club for his grandfather, who served as a caddie, whilst his father was a seller of vegetables.

In recognition and appreciation of Prabagaran’s excellent performance in India, the President of the Sri Lanka Golf Union, N. U. G. de Silva and the committee, extended an opportunity for the members of the press to meet the champion on Thursday at the SLGU.

Addressing the gathering de Silva said the salutary thing about our golfers who go abroad to compete, never get lost but return home.

According to him much is being done to give caddies. More opportunities to reach their true potential, some of them being sent to play in different golfing venues abroad to so adjust and adapt themselves to varying terrain and conditions.

It was gathered from Prabagaran that whilst he was having his secondary education at St. Xavier’s College N’Eliya upto the age of 15, he simultaneously spent his hours of leisure serving the NEGC along with his grandfather and extended family members living in the vicinity of the NEGC.

Through it all Prabagan acquired the skills of golf to be a leading golfer.

Some of his achievements on the road to the all India championship were his being Sri Lanka champion in 2003 coming runner-up in 2005 at Victoria,Kandy, placed 3rd in Pakistan open in 2006 and second in the SAARC contest in January 2007.

With a smile he said that his one year old son has brought him luck in winning the all India amateur championship last week.