Sri Lanka’s Junior Golf Champion, Jevahn Sathasivam, who has an impressive local track record having taken to the sport four years ago, has raised hopes for his country with his sights set to have a crack at the Asia Pacific (APGC) Junior Golf Championship in Manila from September 3 to 6.
Three other talented golfers namely Reshan Algama, Kaya Daluwatte and Adithya Weerasinghe will form the Lankan team that will take part in the APGC in Manila.
Jevahn, who has been spurred on by his father who is a keen social golfer, has Impacted his way to potential heights following a successful 2023 that saw the junior prodigy win the Sri Lanka Junior Open and gaining experience representing Sri Lanka at the World Junior Open in Thailand and the Malaysian Junior Open. It has spurred him on to aim for a podium finish at the upcoming Manila tournament.”
His progress has been remarkable moving from a 24 handicap to a 0 handicap in just two years and winning the Sri Lanka Junior Open in 2023 by an impressive 10-shot margin was a feather in hi cap.
Fine technique to perfect swing calibrated to precision and power has been Jevahn’s strongpoint equipped with an impressive wingspan and quick club head speed. He packs an average carry of 285-290 yards.
His success has been woven around multiple wins at the monthly medals, the McLachlan Cup, and the prestigious Grand Prix Prize at the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) driven by consistent under-par rounds by virtue of his long hitting and accuracy around the greens. This evolvement has been from a 24 handicap three years ago to a scratch (0) handicapper in December 2023, a personal target he had set for himself.
His progress has also seen Jevahn entered the prestigious World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) for the first time with his performances in these qualifiers earning him selection by SLGU (Sri Lanka Golf Union) and R&A as their representative in the Boys U-16 at the R&A World Junior Open Championship in Scotland where he finished 40th making the cut despite challenging weather conditions.
The local junior champ has expressed his glee of his progress thus far saying, “2023 was a fantastic year for me. I participated in three international tournaments and played some great golf,” reflected 16-year-old Jevahn. His performance in these tournaments, including reaching the quarter-finals of the RCGC Championship, has positioned him as one of Sri Lanka’s most promising young golfers. He lost to the eventual runner-up Husni Uwise. “I was four down by the 10th hole but managed to hold on until the 17th. He played exceptionally well that day.”
The Junior Asia Pacific Golf Championship is his main attraction to playing in the US. “My goal now is to play college golf in the US and hopefully move on to a professional circuit either there or in another country,” he contends.
In addition to golf, gangly six-footer Jevahn Mikel Sathasivam is an all-round athlete, being the basketball captain at Asian International School, Colombo.
As he prepares for Manila, Jevahn is also working on strengthening his mental game, a crucial aspect of golf. “The mental side of golf is almost as important as the physical,” he noted. He is starting a program with an Indian coach to develop this skill further.