NUWARA ELIYA, Friday, January 16 (ePRESS) – Amateur golfer Vinoth Kumar of the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club made an impressive start to lead Day 1 of the Sri Lanka Golf Ranking Tournament, finishing three over par on the par-71 course to set the early pace in front of his home crowd.
Playing calm and controlled golf, Vinoth returned a score of 74 (+3) on a testing hill-country layout where accuracy and patience were vital. His local knowledge helped him handle the tricky greens and changing weather conditions.
Experienced professionals Mithun Perera and Anura Rohana shared second place after both carded 77 (+6), while reigning amateur champion Chanaka Perera of Citrek Group also finished on 77 (+6), keeping strong pressure on the leader. Jeewantha Wijenayake followed closely with 78 (+7).
Number one ranked amateur Dhanushan Kumar and S. Dhuwarshan both ended the day on 79 (+8), staying firmly in contention. Ilangarathnage Prasanna and Prabath Karunarathna posted identical scores of 80 (+9), while H. L. S. Sanathchandra completed his round with 82 (+11).
Top-ranked junior and Faldo Series Reshan Algama faced a challenging opening day, signing for 83 (+12), but remains within striking distance with two rounds still to play in the three-day event.
In the ladies’ category, K. W. D. H. S. Wijegunarathna and R. M. A. C. Rathnayaka jointly led after Day 1 with scores of 101, as the competition stayed tight across the field.
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