Top local pros vie for honours
Top players from the RCGC -- Vijith Bandara, N. Thangaraja, Anura Rohana and Mithun Perera
The Sri Lanka Open 2017, moves to the hills after many years and the Sri Lankan Golf Professionals will battle for supremacy at the picturesque Nuwara Eliya Golf Club Course.
The Sri Lanka Open first played in 1970, has been the platform for top golfers to surface and eventually represent Sri Lanka at Amateur level and win Silver Medals at the Asian Games – Nandasena Perera Beijing Asian Games 1990 and Anura Rohana Seoul Asian Games 2002.
Many amateurs have filtered through the Sri Lanka Open such as K. Prabagaran from NEGC who has won twice, back-to-back in 2013 and 2014 both occasions played in Colombo.
K. Prabagaran
Thangaraja won in 2015 and in 2016 it was won by Rashid Khan (India) — Multiple winner on the Indian Pro Tour (PGTI) and Asian Tour. Anura Rohana won the Sri Lanka Open in 2012 for the Seventh time and is chasing the record for the highest number of wins on his own as he is tied with Nandasena Perera who has also won on seven occasions. Mithun Perera a prolific winner in the amateur events and a multiple winner as a Professional in the PGTI has been runner-up several times and is chasing his first win in the Sri Lanka Open, since this is the event that has got away from Mithun.
The Sri Lanka Open 2017 is particularly special since; the Principal Sponsor Softlogic Holdings PLC is the sponsor of two top professionals in contention to win the Sri Lanka Open 2017, Anura Rohana and Mithun Perera. Thangaraja playing consistently in the recent past is fresh after his win in the RCGC Open resurrected after many years, just last week.
However, the favourite at this stage to win the 2017 Sri Lanka Open has to be K. Prabagaran as it is his home course and having won twice away from home at the RCGC, Prabagaran is the one they all have to beat. Vijitha Bandara, Lalith Kumara, Amarapadma an amateur who won the Open in 2003, B. A. Sanjeewa the leading Amateur, who was the top Sri Lankan finisher in 2016, can give Prabagaran a run for his money.
The regular sponsors and supporters of Golf, CAT SOLAR- UTE are the Co-sponsors and also the sponsor of the CAT SOLAR Pin Fernando Grand Prix, which is also played concurrently with the Sri Lanka Open. Golfers from the Army, Navy and Air Force join the Grand Prix field whilst a total of over 70 top golfers including leading amateurs have entered for the Sri Lanka Open. Olden day heroes G. Harrison, D. Jessie Perera, N. D. Sumith, W.G. Ratanapala too add colour to the field, whilst R. Pathmanathan from VGCR complete the competition of the professionals, to win the 2017 Sri Lanka Open.