Mithun Perera bag 11th TATA Open title

Mithun Perera fires solid 70 to bag 11^th TATA Open title

Jamshedpur, November 25, 2012: Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera came home the winner at the 11^thTATA Open after firing a final round of one-under-70. Perera, who totaled 11-under-274 for the tournament, finished one stroke ahead of Delhi’s Vinod Kumar.

Mithun Perera (65-72-67-70), the overnight leader, had a good start to the day as he birdied the second (par-5) after landing his chip from the bunker within a couple of inches of the flag. He went on to make pars on all the other holes. Perera, who has now won three professional titles, made some amazing par saves on the seventh and 14^th. He made outstanding chip-putts on the seventh and 14^th.

“I hit it really well today. I was solid through the day and played regulation golf. My short-game was good in the final round, especially the putting. This win is a result of my hard-work and dedication. I’m now looking forward to ending the season with an equally good performance at the season-ending event next week,” said Perera, who has now climbed from seventh place to fifth position on the 2012 Rolex Rankings.

Vinod Kumar (68-67-70-70), the defending champion, finished runner-up after firing a one-under-70 in the final round. Vinod’s round featured four birdies and three bogeys and helped him end the tournament with a total of 10-under-275.

Om Prakash Chouhan (69-68-68-71) of Mhow finished a further stroke back in third place.

Rashid Khan of Delhi and Mhow’s Mukesh Kumar shared fourth place at eight-under-277. Rashid has now climbed from second position to first place on the 2012 Rolex Rankings.

 

Karan Taunk of Jamshedpur, the lone amateur to make the cut, won the trophy for the best performance by an amateur. Taunk was placed tied 31^st at four-over-289.

Mr. H M Nerurkar, MD, TATA Steel, said, “It’s good to see a large turnout for the day. The last four days have been great for golf in Jamshedpur with lot of international participation and will definitely help increase the golfing standards of the city. I would like to congratulate Mithun Perera from Sri Lanka for winning the 11^th TATA Open.”

On Sunday the entire field played nine holes each on both the courses - Beldih as well as Golmuri. While one half of the field teed off from Beldih, the other half began its round from Golmuri. Thirty golfers with the best scores at the end of round three teed off from Golmuri and finished at Beldih. The par for the combined courses was 71.

About Tata Steel and Sports:

Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top-ten global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of over 26.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). It is now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 26.13 billion in FY 12, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group’s vision is to be the world’s steel industry benchmark in “Value Creation” and “Corporate Citizenship” through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management. In 2012, Tata Steel became the first integrated steel company in the world to win the Deming Grand Prize 2012 instituted by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.

Tata Steel is the only Indian company to invest in world-class sports facilities, create academies and maintain and manage international level arenas. The cadets of its Tata Football Academy, the nursery for the sport in India, as well as those of the Tata Archery Academy, the only one of its kind for archery, have justified the faith that the Company has in the talent and ability of its youth. Today, a significant part of the Indian Football team, India’s best archers, some of its finest cricketers, athletes, shooters, a Grand Master and several national and international legends have realized their dreams as a result of the support they have received from TATA Steel Sports Academies.

About PGTI:

Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognized official body of professional golf in India. PGTI’s objective is to promote professional golf in the country as well as give players an opportunity to be involved in decision making for all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Gautam Thapar (President), PGTI’s governing body comprises of leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.