Kumara wins amateur golf title

KARACHI: Sri Lankan Lalith Kumara won Pakistan’s national championship here on Sunday, beating an Indian duo in the race to become the best South Asian golfer.

Kumara, 25, from Colombo, finished with a nine-under-par 285 to leave the Indian duo Harinder Gupta and Vikrant Chopra in second and third place respectively in the championship, which also involved golfers from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iran.

Nepal and Thailand pulled out at the last moment due to financial concerns. “I am delighted to have won this title because I was up against the best golfers from South Asia, and especially the Indian duo put up a tough resistance,” said Kumara, who also won the All India Open in Calcutta earlier this month. He won the Bangladesh national championship last year. Gupta finished with 287 while Chopra scored 289. India sent a four-member team to compete in the team and individual events, their first golfing tour to Pakistan for seven years. Pakistan won the international team event while Sri Lanka grabbed the Jayawardene Trophy. —AFP

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