Nuwara Eliya, Feb 15, 6.15PM – Golfers faced heavy mist which delayed the game’s start on the final day. Despite the weather, Chalitha Pushpika from the Navy managed the best score, carding a gross score of 74. Yet, Chanaka Perera held onto his lead with a gross score of 76, winning the first National Ranking Tournament (NRT) of 2024 conducted by Sri Lanka Golf at Nuwara Eliya Golf Club.
Chanaka Perera, representing the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC), excelled throughout the tournament, carding scores of 72, 75, 79, and 76 for aggregate gross score of 302. With this impressive performance, Perera clinched the victory in the first NRT of 2024, finishing four shots ahead of his closest competitor, runner-up Chalitha Pushpika.
Expressing his joy and determination, Perera commented, “I am really happy to win the first NRT of the year amidst challenging conditions. I’m pleased to have overcome my previous average performances in the past six months. I was determined to play well, and I achieved that goal. “I want to thank Certis Lanka, RCGC, and the Sri Lanka Golf Union for their support.”
Chalitha Pushpika of the Sri Lanka Navy secured second place with a gross score of 306, just four strokes behind Perera. Meanwhile, Uchitha Ranasinghe of RCGC maintained his overnight position, finishing third with an aggregate score of 315.
In the fourth position, professional golfer Priya Hemantha of the Victoria Golf Club carded a gross score of 78, with aggregate gross score of 320. Sri Lanka Army golfer HLS Sanathchandra recorded his best score of the tournament with a 77, ending with an aggregate gross score of 327.
In the ladies’ category, RMAC Rathnayake from the Army emerged as the top performer, finishing with an aggregate gross score of 408 strokes, surpassing her fellow competitors, Army’s KUDN Uluwaththa aggregate gross score of 411 and KWDS Wijegunaratna aggregate gross score of 437.
