Chalitha Pushpika
Navy golfer Chalitha Pushpika teed up a remarkable one-under-par 70, marking the best round of the tournament so far and cementing his lead on the third day of the Sri Lanka Golf Ranking Tournament at the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club yesterday.
Pushpika, a seasoned golfer who has been in fine form throughout the event, showed nerves of steel as he navigated the challenging NEGC course with precision. His three-day gross total of 221 gives him a solid three-stroke lead over Royal Colombo Golf Club’s Chanaka Perera, who carded a two-over-par 73 for a gross total of 224.
Perera’s performance was the second-best round of the day, keeping him in striking distance of the top spot.
Day one leader S. Dhuwarshan of NEGC, who had surged to the top with a dazzling opening round, slipped to third place after a third-round score of 75 brought his total gross to 226.
Junior golfer Jacob Norton, a student of Stafford International School and representing RCGC, remains steady in fourth place despite a tough round of 82, bringing his gross total to 225.
PDSU Kumara of the Air Force Sports Club rounds out the top five after carding an 83 for a gross total of 238.
The leaderboard, packed with talent from Sri Lanka’s tri-forces and promising juniors, reflects the competitive spirit of this year’s opening ranking tournament.
In the Ladies’ division, RMC Ratnayake continued her commanding performance, carding a gross 93 to lead the five-player field with a total of 277. Hot on her heels is HN Navinchandra, who carded 95 yesterday for a total gross of 280, just three strokes behind the leader.
With the final round set to advance today, the NEGC’s lush fairways will see a nail-biting finish as golfers aim to hole their way to glory in the first ranking event of the year hosted by Sri Lanka Golf.
As the curtain prepares to close on this four-day tournament, Chalitha Pushpika’s excellent consistency and his ability to keep it “on the fairway” make him the favorite to claim victory.
However, with three strokes separating him and the chasing pack, the final 18 holes could still hold a twist.
