Rookie Sri Lankan Mithun Perera stunned veteran pro Mukesh Kumar 1-up to ensure a place in the semifinals of the SRF matchplay championship at the Delhi Golf Club here on Thursday.
It was a huge achievement for someone who spent seven years as an amateur in India before turning pro through the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Q-school this year.
The 24-year-old turned out to be the giant-killer of the championship as he upset seventh-seeded Mandeo Singh Pathania in the pre-quarterfinals earlier in the day.
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Perera, seeded 55th{+,} succeeded in his plan to remain fault-free against the highly experienced Mukesh. Backed by some good hitting, he started with a birdie to win the first hole and bagged the seventh on a par.
Perera found good rhythm to win three more holes – 9th, 10th and 11th – on the trot. He made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 10th and followed it up with a 25-footer on the next.
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Mukesh fought back to narrow down the gap by claiming the 15th and 17th. However, the Indian could not keep up the tempo in the do-or-die 18th hole.
“I tried to play my regulation game. I did not want to make any mistake which would have given Mukesh a chance,” said Perera, the East India amateur champion in 2007.
Perera took heart from the fact that he beat Mukesh, who once played with his father Nandasen Perera (a 1990 Asian Games silver medallist and a former professional).
The Lankan will now take on Manav Jaini in the semifinals.
The results: Quarterfinals: Ashok Kumar bt Raju Ali Mollah 3 and 2; Chiragh Kumar bt R. Murthy 2-up; Mithun Perera bt Mukesh Kumar 1-up; Manav Jaini bt Digvijay Singh 4 and 3.
Pre-quarterfinals: Ashok Kumar bt Harendra Gupta 4 and 2; Raju Ali Mollah bt Rafick Ali Mollah 5 and 3; R. Murthy bt Shaurya Singh 2 and 1; Chiragh Kumar bt Gaurav Pratap Singh 3 and 2; Mukesh Kumar bt Rudresh Sharma 3 and 2; Mithun Perera bt Mandeo Singh Pathania 2 and 1; Digvijay Singh bt Gurki Shergill 3 and 1; Manav Jaini bt Om Prakash Chouhan 3 and 2.