Ahlawat takes day’s honours

The Sri Lankan domination continued in the tournament with the top two players on the leaderboard belonging to the island nation. Mithun Perera hogged the limelight with a five-under-65 that saw him race into a three-shot lead ahead of fellow Sri Lankan, his close friend and room partner for the week, N Thangaraja (68). Perera’s total read 14-under-196 after the penultimate round. 

Mithun Perera (68-63-65), who was part of the three-way lead at the halfway stage along with N Thangaraja and Noida’s Vikrant Chopra, fired a second consecutive bogey-free round on Saturday to break away from the rest of the field. 

Perera and Thangaraja matched each other shot for shot till the 13th as both were three-under for the day. Mithun, who last won a title four years back, had set up three birdie putts from a range of four feet on the first 13 holes.

But the tide really began turning 31-year-old Perera’s way when he knocked in a 15-footer for birdie on the 14th to take the outright lead. Thereafter, it was one-way traffic as Thangaraja three-putted the 16th for bogey and Mithun tapped-in for another birdie.