People's support helped me to emerge champion, says Thangaraja

S M Jiffrey Abdeen Kandy Sports Correspondent at Victoria

I took to golf barely five years ago and it was the encouragement and the support of the people around me who helped me to perform with a high degree of success, said N Thangaraja the new golf champion of the 124 version of the Sri Lanka Amateur Golf Championship 2011 organized by the Sri Lanka Golf Union and worked off at the Victoria golf course at Rajawella off Kandy.

Thirty year old N Thangaraja a resident of Model Farm Road in Mattakkuliya said it was about five years ago that he was introduced to the game at Waters Edge where he was employed. He took a great liking for the game and set his goals that he would become the champion in the country. That was in the year 2006.

At the start it was Sumal Perera and his wife Shyama Perera who encouraged and supported him at the Waters Edge. 'May be they identified the talent in me which I was not aware but I had a great desire to play the game. This is an individual sport and you will have to fight it alone. When you fail there is no one to make amends. You will have to do it yourself. Say in a game of cricket when you fail there are others who could score and help the team to boost up a good score but this cannot happen in golf where the real challenge lies with you.'

When he went over to Royal Colombo Golf Club many officials helped him which includes Ana Punchihewa, coach K A Chandradasa, the Physical Trainer and Motivator Jagath Caldera and both gentlemen golfers and lady golfers supported me a lot. The names are too numerous to mention. They all supported me and without their support, I could not have achieved all these. This year at the Asian Golf Championship held in Singapore he was placed 36th but he had the satisfaction of defeating all the golfers in the South Asian Region. This motivated me to perform better.

Thangaraja entered this year's Sri Lanka Amateur Golf Championship with a handicap of plus two. On the first day of the championship N Ranga of RCGC led with 69 and he was third along with Sajib Ali of Bangladesh with 73 gross each.

On the second day he was able to move up to second position with Sajib Ali Bangladesh leading with a total of 143. He made 73 and had a total of 146 which was equalled by Gagan Verma of India and N Ranga of RCGC. On the third day Sajib Ali who is the Bangladesh National Champion led with a total of 227 and he was one shot behind with 228.

But on the fourth and final day the real challenge came from the Indian national champion S Chikkarangappa from Bangalore who scored a brilliant 67 in the third round to finish with 218. When these two golfers came up to the last hole Thangaraja had really won but he did know. In a state of over enthusiasm the Indian champion Chikkarangappa floundered to end up with 74 and a total of 292. The champion Thangaraja made 71 with to end up with a total of 289 and was three shots ahead of the runner up.