Monday Dec 15, 2025
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Monday, 24 November 2025 03:34 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
29th Faldo Junior Golf U21 winner Kaya (second from left) with other segment winners
By Shamseer Jaleel
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Kaya Daluwatte
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Sri Lanka’s junior golf story gained a radiant new chapter in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as Kaya Daluwatte produced a performance that felt both fearless and inevitable.
Her victory in the Girls 21 and Under division came with the calm precision of someone who has begun to understand her own power. Three rounds of 68, 67, and 67 formed an elegant arc of consistency, giving her an eight-under-par total of 202 and a title that will resonate far beyond this single week.
Her opening 68 set the tone, steady and unhurried. In the UAE’s testing desert winds, she found rhythm early, blending controlled aggression with a mature patience that belied her age. Each fairway found and each green reached in regulation added a quiet inevitability to her campaign, as though she were sketching the shape of her win one stroke at a time.
The second round’s 67 was where she began to separate from the field. Competitors wavered; Kaya simply sharpened. Her iron play carried a kind of needlepoint accuracy, repeatedly placing her in birdie range. It was the day she declared her intent without theatrics just disciplined golf executed beautifully.
By the final round, another 67 sealed the narrative. There was pressure, of course, but she wore it lightly. The composure she displayed on the closing holes echoed the form she showed just weeks earlier when she won the Thailand Junior Championship.
The UAE victory now sits beside that triumph, forming a compelling portrait of a player rising swiftly through Asia’s amateur ranks. Her recent Bronze medal at the Asian Youth Games 2025 completes an extraordinary month. Three major performances, each in a different country, each demanding a different type of grit, now define her momentum. She was tied on the first two days by Sweden’s Lova Jansson, who dropped down badly on the final day ending as the runner-up.
Reshan Algama’s tied 14th finish added further pride for Sri Lanka. His first two rounds’ 70 and 68 kept him firmly in the mix before a tough final day reshuffled his standing. He was placed tied on fifth place at the end of Day 2. The promise in his game remains unmistakable.
Jevahn Sathasivam’s steady showing in 22nd place rounded off a strong Sri Lankan presence. He had a very good start, but on Day 2 and Day 3, he went through a tough time.
Still, the Sri Lankan golfers ended on a high with over 90 junior golfers teeing off.
