Colombo golfers in royal show bring home Trophy

 The 122nd Burdett Trophy winners Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) pose for a ceremonial picture

By Shamseer Jaleel

Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) emerged victorious with a total score of 7.5 to Nuwara Eliya Golf Club’s (NEGC) 4.5 at the 122nd Burdett Trophy 2025 whichi s the second oldest golf event in the world with well over a century after it all began in 1902.

In the Burdett Foursomes, the RCGC demonstrated a dominant performance, securing all four points that was on offer. Mahela Jayawardena and Kaiyan Johnpillai paired up and set a strong precedent, winning their match 5/4 against Chanaka Perera and Murad Ismail. This early victory provided significant momentum for the home team.

The formidable duo of youngster Thejas Rathis Kanth and Viran Perera continued the winning streak, decisively defeating Haroon Aslam and Suhayb Sangani with a score of 6/5. Their excellent teamwork and strategic play proved overwhelming for their opponents, further extending RCGC lead.

Vinuda Weerasinghe and Gehan Siribaddana also contributed to the foursome’s sweep, securing a 1-Up victory against Sachin de Silva and Manjula Chandrasoma. 

Lalith Rohitha and Kumar Danushan rounded out the Foursome with another convincing win, defeating Reshan Algama and Sudath Kumar 6/5. This clean sweep in the Foursome established a commanding 4/0 lead for the RCGC heading into the singles matches.

The Burdett Singles matches, however, presented a more closely fought contest, with the NEGC mounting a spirited comeback. Lalith Rohith of RCGC secured a crucial 2-Up victory against Harsha Abeywickrama, adding to the home team’s tally. Sachin De Silva of NEGC with his experience in the course defeated Chandana Gunasekera 3/2. Kusal Johnpillai of RCGC then added another point with a 1-Up win over Jacobs Norton, keeping Royal Colombo in the lead. Suahyb Sangani of NEGC defeated Mahela Jayawardena of RCGC 5/4.

Despite strong efforts from Nuwara Eliya, including Adam Fernando going 1-Up against W. A. K. Fernando, Haroon Aslam and Viran  Perera tying their game and Yannik Kumara from NEGC  going 1-Up over Ranil Pieris, put the scoreboard on a tight situation but the last game saw Kumar Danushan of RCGC getting the better of Reshan Algama and going 1-Up.

Nuwara Eliya won the Burdett Singles segment with a score of 4.5 to Royal Colombo’s 3.5, but the strong performance of Royal Colombo Golf Club in the Burdett Foursomes ultimately secured them the overall victory in the 122nd Burdett Trophy 2025 with a final score of 7.5 to 4.5 and brought the Cup back to Colombo this year.

NEGC took home the Puffin Cup 5.5 to 2.5, the 125th Anniversary Trophy 8/7 and Masters Trophy winning 4/0.