Chanaka tops National Ranking Tournament in Hill Country

By Shamseer Jaleel

Seasoned campaigner Chanaka Perera produced a superb final-round performance to clinch the National Ranking Tournament (NRT) championship with a total of 220 (80, 73, 67) at the scenic Nuwara Eliya Golf Club (NEGC) yesterday.

The event, which took place from November 6 to 9 and concluded after three testing rounds under challenging highland conditions, drew some of the country’s top male golfers competing for vital national ranking points.

Chanaka’s brilliant closing round of 67 was the lowest of the tournament and sealed a comfortable two-stroke victory, reaffirming his status as one of Sri Lanka’s most consistent golfers.

Youngster S. Dhuwarshan maintained fine form throughout the tournament, finishing runner-up on 222 (73, 75, 74), displaying both composure and precision over the demanding NEGC layout.

Kumar Danushan, who led during the initial days, had to settle for third place with 224 (73, 72, 79), continuing his steady rise among the country’s emerging talents.

The competition also saw several close battles down the leaderboard, with 15 golfers making the cut after day one out of more than 30 participants.