Following the trail of the legendary golfer Nandasena Perera; his father, Mithun is presently ranked No.01 in the Sri Lankan Golf arena. Representing the island nation as a golf ambassador he has won several championships around the globe.
ThePapare.com caught up with him before he took his leave for the Indian and Malaysian tour.
What was your introduction to the sport?
Well my father played golf. He played from 1988-1990 for the National team and he won a silver medal at the Asian Games. So golf was a dinner topic at our house. The other main fact that drove my passion towards golf was that my house is just in front of the 13th hole of the course. So as I woke up early morning I see golfers playing and engaging in their practice sessions so with those sights I couldn`t think anything than golf otherwise. But I played cricket and rugby till I was fifteen years old. Then I got the chance to tour India in the year 2002 as a junior team member and since then I have never looked back.
You began your career in 2002, tell us how you plotted your career since then?
My first tour as I mentioned before was the tour to India in 2002 as a junior team member and then about the end of 2003, I got the chance to play to the national side and I represented the national side till 2010 Asian Games where I won the fourth place and thus ended my career as a national player. After the retirement from the national side I chose golf as my profession and joined alongside Anura Rohana who was playing professional golf at the time. Since then I have been playing golf professionally.
Would you could tell us your most memorable achievement as a golfer?
I won the Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Championship in 2009 in China as a national player and that championship was the turning point. Why I say so is because since I won the Asia Pacific I got the chance to participate in the Japan Open Golf Championship. Also it gave me a lot of confidence to pursue ahead in golf because around 34 countries participated including top ranked golfers from both Asia and Europe.
Your Sri Lanka`s NO.01 and you have been playing professional golf with the top guns of Europe and Asia but you are yet to win a Sri Lankan Open. What went wrong ?
What could I possibly say now (laughs a bit) Well maybe the time is not right still. Everything happens for your good they say. Actually Prabhakaran played really good golf today. The point is to win a championship you have to have a good week of golf throughout and be consistent. Praba was on top of his game and today on the final day he played exceptionally. He deserves it I must say. There is always a next time buddy. Fingers crossed.
Share with us your daily routine and is there any schedule that you follow during your practices?
I wake up around 5.30 in the morning and I arrive at the golf course at around 7.30 a.m. and that is when I commence my practice sessions. It goes on till like 2.00 in the afternoon every day and attend to any other work and I have my dinner before s 6.00 p.m. and I have made it a habit to go to bed in between 7.00 and 8.00 in the night. I don’t have any night plans hence I don’t have hung-overs and I have nine to ten hour sleep which is very important. Actually I am very lucky to have my house just near the golf course.
You idolize Tiger Woods. Why is this ?
Reason number one would be he has won 14 championships and that is not at all easy to do I will tell you that much. Then his confidence in shot selection is the main quality of his career that I idolize in him. The most important lesson that we could learn, is the way he built up his career. Even though he failed at times he was mentally strong and I believe that is learning point for any sportsman. For me personally he has been my hero since my inception in golf.
Talking about the local franchise, where do you think the standards of Sri Lanka Golf is and areas of improvement?
Well I am really happy to say we have improved a lot since 2010. When I joined alongside Anura Rohana back in the days to play professionally the standards were a question. But now at the present Parabhakaran, Thangarajah, Anura Rohana, Zen Dharamartene and a couple more including myself are touring internationally playing professional golf. In the Indian tour four of the Sri Lankan`s are ranked in between the top fifteen. So the standards are top spot at the moment and we have to carry it out in the same consistent manner to the future as well. For that we need to have more tournaments in the country. We just have a couple of mega events so area for improvement would be to conduct more events to get the exposure needed.
What are your thoughts in reaching the sport to the school level in the country? Don’t you think it’s the duty of the Golf Union to do so or else is every one reluctant to do so because of the rich man label the sport has attracted?
No it is not because of the rich man label that the sport has attracted and yes it is the duty of the golf union to do so. To be precise we did reach the local educational institutions and encouraged them to commence the sport at their level with the promise that the golf union will provide the necessary facilities so that a more number of children could induce the sport. But oh well I will say they were not cooperative at all. It isn’t a one sided thing, it is a two way process and they did not keep their end of the bargain. Hence golf is yet to be started in that level and I hope that schools will co-operate with us soon.
What is your advice for youngsters who are stepping into the sport?
First and foremost it is wonderful sport come embrace it. Well the advice is pretty simple. Create your own goals and targets. Take one at a time and don’t rush. You want to be professional and good golfer the secret behind it commitment. The more you commit yourself and achieve your goals you will be a better person day by day.
Back to you – What are your future plans on your career?
I am leaving the country for the Malaysian Open, Thailand Classic and the Indian Open in a few days’ time so more than anything I have been focusing on these three tours because my goal is to win at least one championship in the Asian Tour this year.
What were the difficulties and obstacles that you had to face amidst your career of four years?
I travel around the globe for like 40 weeks every year. So in this context have to apply myself for visa and the rest of the documents needed for travelling. I do it all by myself. Maybe I am lucky in a way that some of the ambassadors play golf in Sri-Lanka so most of them are my good friends but I find my own accommodation and have to prepare everything myself.
How is the support you get from your family towards your sporting career?
My family has always been behind me, motivating and lending their helping hand in every way they could. My mother prepares all the meals according to a plan while my father helps me with my practices and training sessions and the lessons that I learn from him are the most valuable. All in all the support from my family is exceptional.
If you weren’t a golfer who would you be today?
Well that is pretty simple answer. If I weren’t a golfer you will interview me today as footballer. That is my favorite sport apart from Golf. So yes, I will be a football player.
Finally any words of gratitude?
I would like to thank my parents. Father Nandasena Perera for his guidance and his support and my mother for motivating me throughout. Also I would like to thank Mr. Sanjaya Wickramanayake for E-wis group, Mr.Janak Hydramani and the Ports Authority for their continuous support. The office bearers and the Members of the Royal Colombo Golf Club and Dialog Axiata PLC for the financial support they give me and each and every man who has supported me even from one word towards my career.
ThePapare wishes Mithun all success !!!
