Bangalore, 12-02-2014
Mithun Perera takes top honours in round one with a seven-under-65
Naman Dawar, Vinod Kumar two shots off the lead in joint second
Sri Lankan Mithun Perera took top honours in round one of the PGTI Eagleburg Open being played at Eagleton – The Golf Resort near Bangalore. Perera posted a seven-under-65 in the opening round to establish a two-stroke lead at the top. Delhi golfers Naman Dawar and Vinod Kumar closed the day in joint second place with scores of five-under-67.
Mithun Perera, who won PGTI’s last event at his home course in Colombo last week, continued his good form with eight birdies against a lone bogey at Eagleton on Wednesday. The four-time winner on the PGTI converted an eight-footer for his first birdie of the day on the second hole.
The 28-year-old then went on a rampage with five straight birdies from the sixth to the 10th. Perera added two more birdies after landing it within five feet of the pin on the 15th and 17th. His only bogey of the day came on the 16th.
“The win last week really lifted my spirits. I’m now 29-under for the last five rounds on the PGTI. This is an ideal start to the tournament. I’ve generally played well at Eagleton but this round of 65 is my best score here and has put me in a great position. The highlight of my round was the second shot on the sixth which helped me get out of the trees and landed just four feet from the hole. I may try that shot ten times more and may not be able to get it right again. The execution for that shot was near-perfect. I was on a roll thereafter,” said Perera.
Naman Dawar’s bogey-free 67 saw him knock down birdie putts from a range of 15 to 25 feet on the 10th, 16th and eighth. He also canned a 15 feet par putt on the 12th.
Naman said, “This is one of my lowest scores in a long time. I was struggling with my game last year but things are looking up this year as I also had a decent outing last week. I putted really well today and made some good par-saves.”
Vinod Kumar made an astonishing nine birdies against two bogeys and a double-bogey in his round of 67 that placed him joint second along with Dawar.
Anirban Lahiri, the defending champion and local favourite, shares fourth place along with another Bangalore golfer R Murthy, Sri Lankans K Prabagaran and N Thangaraja and Jaipur’s Vishal Singh at four-under-68.
Lahiri, who made an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys in round one, hit it with pin-point precision as his shots stopped within four feet of the flag on five occasions.
Lahiri said, “It’s not a bad start to the tournament but I was a little frustrated since I didn’t make any long putts today. The longest putt I holed was a six-footer for par. I’m working on some changes in my game and I guess I’ll just have to be patient before those changes have the desired effect.”
One of the highlights of round one was K Prabagaran’s eagle on the fourth. He holed his third shot from 85 yards for eagle as the ball pitched inside the hole without bouncing.
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Kapil Dev (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
For information on PGTI, please contact:
Nikhil Kalaan
Media Manager - PGTI
Mobile: 9910974846
Email: media@pgtofindia.com
