Resilient Mithun comes through in RCGC thriller

By Rahul Banerji

Ever-smiling Sri Lankan Mithun Perera broke a 21-month title drought with a hard-fought victory in the inaugural edition of the ICC RCGC Open Golf Championship at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on Sunday.

Perera, who won his seventh PGTI win, returned an eventful level-par-72 in the final round to emerge winner by one stroke on 8-under-280 in the Rs. 40 lakh event. Mithun’s prize cheque of Rs. 6,46,600 also took him from 26^th to 14^th place in the Tata Steel PGTI Order of Merit.

Lucknow professional Sanjeev Kumar, who was up by three shots at one stage on Sunday in search for his maiden title, had to settle for second place after a 71 saw him post a 7-under-281 for the week.

Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane (71) and Delhi’s Shamim Khan (71) took joint third place on 4-under-284s.

Manu Gandas of Gurgaon matched the best round of the tournament with a 65 to finish tied fifth on 3-under-285 along with Delhi’s Kapil Kumar (77), the leader for the first three rounds, as well as Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (69) and Ankur Chadha (70) of Gurgaon.

Poor start

Mithun Perera (71-70-67-72), son of legendary Sri Lankan golfer Nandasena, fell back from his share of the overnight lead when he made four bogeys on the first 11 holes.

The 32-year-old rebounded on the back nine with birdies on the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th holes largely thanks to a couple of 15-foot conversions. After missing a short birdie putt on the 17^th, Perera played a decisive 3-wood approach from 215 yards on the 18^th that landed three feet short of the flag and set up his winning birdie putt.

It was Mithun’s first win since the PGTI event in Chennai in March, 2018. The short and stocky Colombo resident was the only player in the field this week who did not shoot an over-par score.

Mithun said, “My round can be divided into two halves. The first 11 holes were a struggle but the 15-foot birdie conversion on the 14^th acted as a catalyst for my round and gave me the belief I could win.

“I then hardly put a foot wrong on the last five holes where I made four birdies. The 14^th birdie just transformed my thought process for the better.

Going for broke

“The first 13 holes are always tough on this course, so I knew that I will have a chance to come back on the final stretch. I then knew I had to make at least a par on the last hole since I was level with Sanjeev so I tried to go for a two-on and two-putt par on the 18^th.

“However, I didn’t realise how well I had executed my approach till it landed just three feet from the flag which turned out to be a sort of bonus for me.

“It’s such as big relief to win after a long gap. I dedicate this win to my late father and one of Sri Lanka’s all-time great golfers Nandasena Perera, who passed away earlier this year.

“I recently got some gadgets from Japan that have helped add distance to my already accurate game. That was also a contributing factor in my win. I would also like to thank my caddie Saltu who has been on the bag with me through both my wins at the RCGC including the East India Amateur 2007.

New dad

“I’m eagerly looking forward to the last two weeks of the season as both the courses, the KGA in Bengaluru and Golmuri in Jamshedpur, suit my game,” added Mithun, who recently became a father for the first time.

Sanjeev Kumar (75-68-67-71), a two-time runner-up on the PGTI in 2017, seemed well on course for his maiden title when he fired two birdies on the front-nine.

However, the 28-year-old stumbled with a couple of bogeys on the back nine that saw his challenge fade away despite a birdie on the 15^th as Perera gained significant ground.

Sanjeev, who turned professional in 2011, said, “After a solid front-nine where I created a lot of chances, my hitting form deserted me on the back-nine.

“I just couldn’t get that one crucial birdie on the last three holes as my tee shots were not landing in good positions. Nonetheless, I’m happy with the way I played and hope to break that victory barrier soon.”

Also read: Remembering Nandasena Perera, Sri Lankan golf icon