M Dharma breaks victory barrier with three-stroke triumph at 12th Tata Open

M Dharma (3rd from left) receives the winner's cheque from Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI (extreme left), Mr. T V Narendran, Managing Director, TATA Steel (2nd from left) and Mr. Sunil Bhaskaran, Deputy Vice President, Corporate Services, TATA Steel and Golf Captain, Jamshedpur (extreme right).

M Dharma

Jamshedpur, December 22, 2013: M Dharma of Bangalore joined the winner’s circle on the PGTI after a three-stroke victory at the 12^th TATA Open in Jamshedpur on Sunday. Dharma fired a two-under-69 in the final round to end up with a tournament total of 13-under-272. Jamshedpur-based amateur Karan Taunk had a creditable runner-up finish at 10-under-275.

On Sunday, the entire field played nine holes each on both courses – Beldih and Golmuri. While one half of the field teed off from Beldih, the other half began its round from Golmuri. Thirty-three 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.

M Dharma (66-70-67-69), the overnight joint leader, made three birdies against a lone bogey in the fourth round to finally break the victory barrier in his ninth year on the professional circuit. The 27-year-old Dharma, who hails from the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course in Bangalore, played a steady final round as he made good chip-putts for birdies on the fourth, ninth and 12^th to stay ahead through the day. The only blemish on his card was the bogey on the eighth that came as a result of a three-putt.

“I had a fabulous week here as I played to my potential and just had one ordinary round on the second day. My chipping was excellent today and I never lost focus. My good results in the last five weeks can be attributed to my brilliant ball-striking,” said Dharma, who has now climbed from 19^th place to seventh position on the PGTI’s Rolex Rankings for 2013 after picking up the winner’s cheque of Rs. 8,08,250 at the 12^th TATA Open.

The Bangalore-based professional, who will become a father for the first time early next year, added, “It feels great to finally cross the line and have a title under my belt. I would now like to end the year on a high with a good performance next week as well. I would like to thank the KGA and its members for their continuous support over the years.”

Local amateur Karan Taunk (67-69-69-70), lying third after round three, delighted the home crowd with his second-place finish after returning a one-under-70 in the last round. Karan, who will be turning professional at the PGTI’s Qualifying School in January 2014, sank four birdies and dropped three bogeys on Saturday. He played a good chip for birdie on the ninth and converted birdie putts from 10 to 15 feet on the 13^th and 15^th. This was Taunk’s best-ever finish in a professional event.

Taunk said, “This performance is a huge boost for me before beginning my professional career. I used the local knowledge to my advantage through the week. However, today I did not create enough birdie chances for myself. I played a couple of poor chip shots on the 10^th and 11^th that led to bogeys and kept me from getting close to Dharma’s score.”

Delhi’s Shamim Khan (68-72-71-66) claimed third place with a total score of eight-under-277. Shamim carded a five-under-66 in the final round that featured six birdies and a bogey.

Manav Jaini of Delhi was a further shot behind in fourth position.

The last event of the 2013 PGTI season will now be staged in Kolkata next week and will feature only the top-60 players in the Rolex Rankings after the 12^th TATA Open along with five invites. Rashid Khan leads the Rolex Rankings at this stage with earnings of Rs. 41,80,634 for the season so far.

Top scores after Round 3:

13-under-272: M Dharma

10-under-275: Karan Taunk (A)

Eight-under-277: Shamim Khan

Seven-under-278: Manav Jaini

Press release