DIGANA, Kandy, July 7 (ePRESS) – N. Thangaraja made a flying start to the E-Wis Championship 2026, carding a superb opening-round gross score of 65 to take a commanding six-shot lead over Chalitha Pushpika at the Victoria Golf Resort in Digana, Kandy.
Thangaraja was in complete control on the first day and produced the best round of the field. His 65 gave him a strong advantage at the top of the leaderboard and placed him in a fine position heading into the second round.
Navy golfer Chalitha Pushpika was his closest challenger after returning a solid 71, but he still has work to do to close the gap on the leader.
Three players shared third place on 73. Veteran Anura Rohana, Priya Hemantha and Chanaka Perera all stayed within touching distance, keeping the contest open with two rounds still to play.
Lalith Kumara and N. Amarapathma were next on 74, while Mithun Perera, another experienced campaigner, carded 75 to remain in the top eight.
R. Pathmanathan finished the first round on 76, followed by Haroon Aslam on 77. H. M. Vijitha Bandara and Sachin De Silva were tied on 78.
Binupa Wijesinghe, I. M. Lorance, Uchitha Ranasinghe and Harsha Rukman were all placed on 79 after the opening round, while B. A. Sanjeewa and Kelum Sampath returned scores of 81.
The first day clearly belonged to Thangaraja, whose low round gave him the perfect platform to push for the title. However, with two more rounds left, the chasing pack will look to apply pressure as the championship moves into its decisive stages at Victoria.
The championship, presented by Professional Golf Tour Sri Lanka, is being played from July 7 to 9 at the Victoria Golf Resort, with 41 golfers competing in the three-day event.
