Anura Rohana wins at Bangalore

Sri Lankan Anura Rohana posted his first win on the Aircel PGTI after he shot a three under 69 in the final round of the Global Green Bangalore Open 2011 to prevail by a mammoth six-stroke margin at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course on Saturday. Rohana finished the week with a tournament total of 12 under 276. Mukesh Kumar finished a distant second at six under 282.

Anura Rohana (68-68-71-69) captured his second professional title (first on Aircel PGTI) with a final round effort that featured an eagle, five birdies and four bogeys. The 38-year-old made an ideal start to the round as he landed his shots within three feet of the pin for birdies on the first and fifth holes. Rohana then dropped bogeys on the sixth, seventh and 10th as he found the bunker on a couple of occasions. The Colombo-based professional turned it on with an eagle on the 11th where he chipped-in from the bunker and followed that up with a 10 feet birdie putt from the fringe of the green on the 12th. Rohana then birdied the 14th and 16th to all but seal it. He crossed the line with a comfortable six-stroke margin despite making bogey on the 18th.

Anura's lone professional victory prior to the Global Green Bangalore Open 2011, was at the Surya Nepal Masters 2010.

Rohana, who was the wire-to-wire leader from round one to round four, said, "It's fantastic to win my first title in India after having played in this country for so many years. I had targeted a total score of 12 to 13 under and I worked towards achieving that number. This win will definitely help me lift my game for the future. "I went for the pins today, an approach that paid rich dividends. It was important not to give Mukesh even an outside chance and by attacking the flag I kept him out of the equation.

"I knew I had almost sealed it after the eagle on the 11th."

Rohana, who took home the winner's purse of Rs. 646,600 on Saturday, has now jumped from 19th position to fourth place on the Rolex Rankings.

Mukesh Kumar (72-70-70-70) of Mhow made four birdies and two bogeys en route to his final round of 70. His six under 282 total ensured him second place. Mukesh, who took home a cheque of Indian Rs. 446,600 for his runner-up finish, has now climbed from second place to first position on the Rolex Rankings. His earnings for the 2011 season stand at Indian Rs. 1,885,550.