Pushpika tops National Ranking tournament ahead of final day
Navy golfer Chalitha Pushpika displayed a remarkable one-under-par performance to record the day’s best score and retain his top position on the leaderboard at the end of the third round of the Sri Lanka Golf Ranking Tournament at the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club (NEGC) yesterday.
Pushpika, a seasoned golfer, carded a gross score of 70, marking the best score of the four-day tournament so far. He leads the 15-member cut players with a total gross score of 221, maintaining a three-stroke advantage over second-placed Chanaka Perera of Royal Colombo Golf Club.
Perera delivered a steady two-over-par 73 in the third round, bringing his total gross to 224. His round was the second-best performance of the day, further securing his position as Pushpika’s closest competitor.
Meanwhile, first-round leader S. Dhuwarshan of NEGC, who started the tournament strongly, slipped to third place. Dhuwarshan carded a 75 yesterday, taking his total gross to 226.
Junior golfer Jacob Norton of RCGC, a student at Stafford International School, remains in fourth place after carding an 82, bringing his total to 235. Air Force’s P.D.S.U. Kumara sits in fifth position, carding 83 for a total of 238. Most of the other players in the tournament represent Sri Lanka’s Tri-Forces.
In the Ladies’ division, R.M.C. Ratnayake topped the five-player leaderboard with a total gross of 277 after carding a 93 yesterday. H.N. Navinchandra trails three strokes behind with a total of 280, after recording a 95 in the third round.
The four-day tournament, the first ranking event of the year hosted by Sri Lanka Golf, concludes today at the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club.