Sri Lanka ‘B’ team wins International Team Event

The second day of the 125th Sri Lanka Amateur Golf Championship has been a victorious day for local golfers as Sri Lanka ‘B’ team comprising M. Arumugam and Sisira Kumara maintained their first day lead and won the Parlakimedi Trophy beating the strong International teams while the local ‘A’ team also performed well to emerged runner-up at the Royal Colombo Golf Club yesterday.

Proving his supremacy, reigning champion N. Thangaraja had a classy performance to obtain top seed status after two rounds stroke play by firing a four under par card to finish with three under par and claimed the top slot.

Mohamed Dulala Hossain of Bangladesh shot another sub-par round to be three under par over the two qualifying rounds to be seeded number two.

The Seeding for the knockout stage and draw was based on the Gross scores returned in the two qualifying rounds. The defending Champion N. Thangaraja seeded on top, Dulal Hossain at second while Sisira Kumara and Zen Dharmaratne were ranked third and fourth seeds respectively.

Dulal also helped Bangladesh to finish third in the International Team Event ahead of India who finished fourth on day two.

The championship will see its knockout stage commences on Thursday, with the second round and Quarter-finals being worked off on Friday.

The Semi-finals will be on Saturday followed by the 36 holes final on Sunday at the Ridgeway’s Golf Course.

The Indian lady golfers Gursimar Badwal, Anisha Padkone and Nanaki Chadha seems very eminent but the Lankan ladies lead by Swen Selvaratnam, Niloo Jayatilaka and Jackie Dias can always spring a surprise in the ladies event. Three times winner from India Smerjeet Singh was ranked at eighth and will meet Sri Lanka’s ‘A’ team players N. Ranga and Thangaraja on his way in the top half of the draw. The reigning Indian Amateur Champion, fourrth ranked in India Angad Cheema is slotted in at 21 in the lower quarter of the top half.

The draw favours a Sri Lankan prominence but the four-time Champion, veteran and ‘legendary figure’ from Pakistan Taimur Hassan can upset the apple-cart for Dulal Hossain and the other Sri Lankans in the bottom half of the draw.

In the Senior Category G. Harrison blew away the rest of the seniors with a brilliant one under par 70, to win the Senior Championship by a massive 16 stroke margin from Ian Tait with Priath Fernando a further four strokes behind in third place.