April 10, 2009

Amrith de Soysa is one of three international golfers on the Louisiana Tech golf team. In this week's installment of "Five Minutes with a Student-Athlete," we interviewed the native of Sri Lanka and learned about his greatest sports achievements, the time he met Tiger Woods and how he would spend a day if money was not an obstacle.

LATechSports: Where are you from?
de Soysa: I am originally from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a little island south of India. I lived there for the first 15 years of my life before I moved to Florida to attend a sports school for my last three years of high school.

LATechSports: Do you have a nickname?
de Soysa: I have a few, Amers is one. Booboo is probably the most common around Tech. It came from Baboo, a character on Seinfeld. A few players told me I sounded like him when I first got here. Baboo eventually became Booboo. I find the nickname hilarious, and now it has grown on me.

LATechSports: What are you majoring in?
de Soysa: Business administration. I thought the major would give me quite a few options once I graduate. It will also allow me to teach me a variety of subjects that relate to business.

LATechSports: What do you enjoy the most about Tech?
de Soysa: The laid back lifestyle. I love the fact that I can get anywhere in five minutes. I also enjoy the awesome food. I love crawfish!

LATechSports: What are your plans after college?
de Soysa: Well, currently I am looking at options in the financial industry. Unfortunately, this is one of the worst times in decades to enter the job market. I've started to consider other options like going home and working for my dad.

LATechSports: What is your greatest achievement?
de Soysa: I have a couple that come to mind. Finishing 11th at the World Junior Golf Championship was a highlight of my career. Winning a Division I college tournament was one too. Winning my golf club championship at 14 was another I will always remember. I was the youngest one to win it since 1914.

LATechSports: Who inspires you and why?
de Soysa: I am going to have to say Tiger Woods. I think people who don't play golf really don't understand how great he is and what he has accomplished in his career. It is just unbelievable the level he plays at and how he handles pressure and the never ending expectations.

My parents have been role models too. Both of them have always given me so much freedom in life. From a young age, they believed in me and let me make my own decisions.

LATechSports: What was your first job?
de Soysa: I worked at an event management firm back in Sri Lanka when I turned 16. Four of my closest friends, my brother and I started this company and it ended up being a very successful firm, so successful that we sold it a few years ago.

LATechSports: What are your hobbies?
de Soysa: I love playing poker and basketball, water skiing, fishing and watching most sports on TV. I also love business and enjoy playing the stock markets around the world.

LATechSports: What is your favorite part of a road trip?
de Soysa: Well, we get to play some awesome golf courses and that is something we all look forward to. Some of the courses we play on are the best private golf courses in America. I also enjoy the good food and playing against the big-named schools.

LATechSports: When did you start playing golf?
de Soysa: I started playing golf at 12. No one in my family has touched a golf club in their life. I just picked it up and loved it. Soon after, I received lessons and within three months, I was on the Sri Lankan National Team.

LATechSports: What is your all-time favorite sports moment?
de Soysa: Wow this is a tricky one as I love most sports. I am going to have to go with Tiger Woods chipping into the 16th hole at the Masters. It was just an incredible shot with so much imagination and trust in his knowledge of that golf course.

LATechSports: What song or artist do you listen to before a game?
de Soysa: Well, I like to listen to all kinds of music. I don't have one particular song or kind of music I listen to. Usually it's something relaxing as most of the time I am listening to it at 6 a.m.

LATechSports: Who do you contribute your success to in golf?
de Soysa: I have to start with my parents for being so supportive in my decision to play sports at such a high level. Not many people from Sri Lanka take a route into sports. My coach in Sri Lanka, Billy, guided me through the initial stages of my career and still advises me. My coach in Florida, Tim Shready, worked countless hours with me to make my game better. Our coaches at Tech, Coach Hall and Coach Parks, always work hard and are always extremely supportive.

LATechSports: Would you ever do something extreme or adventurous?
de Soysa: I have always wanted to go skydiving, but I haven't yet. One thing I will never do is bungee jumping. I just do not feel good about doing something like that.

LATechSports: Have you ever met a celebrity?
de Soysa: I have been fortunate enough to meet Tiger Woods. The day I met him is one I will never forget the rest of my life. I spoke with him and had lunch with him. It was awesome. I was so nervous, I couldn't eat!

LATechSports: If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
de Soysa: If I had my own private island somewhere in the middle of nowhere, that would be real nice. Living back home would be nice too.

LATechSports: What is your favorite movie?
de Soysa: I have a few: Wedding Crashers, Invincible, Rudy, Behind Enemy Lines, Top Gun, Fast and the Furious and Black Hawk Down.

LATechSports: What is your favorite food?
de Soysa: I love Sri Lankan food and sushi.

LATechSports: If you had the opportunity to live your life to the fullest for only one day, what would you do?
de Soysa: I would play a round of golf at Augusta. I would then spend time with my dad, mom and brother on the beach. I would play high stakes poker with eight poker players of my choice. I would shoot hoops with LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Lastly, I would take my girlfriend to a really nice restaurant for dinner and desert.

LATechSports: If you were stranded on a beach, what five things would you need to survive? de Soysa: My cell phone, water, food, a warm blanket and Facebook...just kidding. I would probably need a nice comfortable bed and tons of pillows.