COLOMBO: (ePRESS) – Chalitha Pushpika of Sri Lanka Navy has climbed 120 positions to become Sri Lanka’s top amateur golfer, according to the latest World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). This achievement marks the first time in his career that Pushpika has reached the top position among the amateur golfers in Sri Lanka, surpassing junior golfer Reshan Algama, who had held the position for the past six months.
In the latest WAGR, Pushpika is ranked 569th in the world. In contrast, Algama has fallen to 625th place, dropping 86 spots.
Pushpika, who recently finished as the runner-up in the Sri Lanka Golf Ranking Tournament held in Digana, expressed his excitement: “It was a dream come true to become Sri Lanka’s number one golfer in world rankings.”
This year has been successful for Pushpika, who also secured runner-up positions in the January ranking tournament in Nuwara Eliya, the May ranking tournament in Victoria, and the July ranking tournament. He achieved third place in the June ranking tournament in Nuwara Eliya.
In addition to his national achievements, Pushpika competed in two overseas tournaments early this year. He placed third in Bangladesh Amateur Golf Championship and won the JR Jayewardene Trophy in Pakistan, also clinching the team championship with partner Uchitha Ranasinghe.
Ranasinghe has moved up 21 positions to be ranked 697th internationally, making him Sri Lanka’s third top player. Haroon Aslam has risen 142 places to secure the fourth spot in Sri Lanka with a WAGR of 800. Junior golfer Yannik Kumara has climbed 12 places to fifth with a WAGR of 1225, while Chanaka Perera, who was previously Sri Lanka’s top-ranked golfer, is now sixth with a WAGR of 1263.
