COLOMBO: (ePRESS) – Sixteen-year-old Jevahn Sathasivam caused a major upset at the 133rd Sri Lanka Amateur Open Golf Championship on its fourth day, held at the Royal Colombo Golf Club. Sathasivam, the youngest player in the tournament, defeated Sri Lanka’s top amateur golfer, Chalitha Pushpika, by 2-1 in a stunning match that left the golfing community in awe. Pushpika, a Team Champion and Zia-ul-Haq Trophy winner, had been a favourite to advance, but Sathasivam’s performance proved to be too much.
Having started the day in the 16-player round, Sathasivam’s victory over Pushpika set the tone for what would become an incredible journey. The young golfer advanced to the quarterfinals, where he faced K. Danushan. In another remarkable performance, Sathasivam won 4-3, securing his place in the semi-finals, the only Sri Lankan to reach this stage. He will face India’s Varun Muthappa, who was second in the qualifying rounds, in a highly anticipated match.
In the quarter-finals of the 133rd Sri Lanka Amateur Open Golf Championship, Shamit Dakhane of India bested his compatriot Manoj Sreeramappa with a 3/2 win, while Suraj Joshi, also from India, overcame Sumit Kotwal by 4/3. Meanwhile, Varun Muthappa of India defeated Pakistan’s Malik Shoib in a close match that ended 2/1. Jevan Sathasivam of Sri Lanka continued his stellar performance by beating K. Danushan by 4/3, securing his place in the semi-finals.
Earlier in the top-16 round, Manoj Sreeramappa defeated Pakistan’s Raja Israt by 2/1, and Shamit Dakhane advanced with a dominant 7/5 win over Rahul Batra. Sumit Kotwal earned a 5/4 victory against Shayaan Khadri, while Suraj Joshi ousted Sri Lanka’s Jacob Norton by the same margin, 5/4. Varun Muthappa triumphed over Akash Thangadore with a 3-up win, and Malik Shoib edged out Vinoth Kumar of Nuwara Eliya Golf Club by 1 up. Jevan Sathasivam stunned Chalitha Pushpika, the top amateur from Sri Lanka, with a 2/1 win, while K. Danushan beat Chanaka Perera by 2/1 to move forward.
In the Sri Lanka Ladies’ Amateur Championship, the competition tightened as the quarterfinals concluded. Kaya Daluwatte triumphed over Anumi Karunathilake with a decisive 9/7 win, while Yun Jeong Choi narrowly edged out Jade Jiggens by 2/1. Anouk Chitty, Sri Lanka Golf’s Secretary, defeated Kaya Abhayaratne with another strong 9/7 result, and Tiru Jesudasan overcame Eliane Sterchi by 4/2 to advance to the semi-finals. Today’s semi-finals will see Daluwatte face Choi at 8:30 AM, with Chitty taking on Jesudasan.
In the FB de Mel Cup competition of the Ladies’ Amateur Championship, Elsie Pathmanathan and Sithara Lawrance advanced to the finals, set for Sunday. Pathmanathan defeated Fran de Mel, while Lawrance advanced after a walkover win against Thumi Gunasekara.
