Kolkata, March 25, 2016: Gurgaon’s Shubhankar Sharma
emerged triumphant on a dramatic final day of the inaugural Kolkata Classic to
capture his second title of the season. Shubhankar, who posted a four-under-68
on Friday, ended the week with a winning total of nine-under-279 at the Royal
Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). Sharma now leads the Rolex Ranking.
There was heartbreak for Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi (71), who
finished tied second, despite leading till the final hole of the Rs 30 lakh
event. Kolkata’s Shankar Das brought cheer to the home crowd as he delivered
the day’s best score of 67 to join Joshi in tied second at eight-under-280.
It was a keen tussle between two of India ’s bright
young prospects, Shubhankar Sharma (68-72-71-68) and Khalin Joshi
(71-69-69-71), on the final day of the Kolkata Classic.
Shubhankar, who began the day in tied fourth, two off the
lead, produced some excellent iron-play to accumulate four birdies till the 14th.
He finally caught up with the overnight leader Khalin after a good recovery
from the bunker that led to his fifth birdie of the day on the 16th.
The 19-year-old Sharma, who recorded a win and a runner-up
finish on the PGTI last month, then seemed to have slipped out of contention as
he overshot the ninth green to drop a bogey. However, there was a final twist
to the tale.
Joshi, who was one ahead with three birdies for the day till
he stepped on the 18thtee, landed his drive to the right and also missed a
chip-putt on the last hole to concede a disastrous double-bogey that handed the
title to Shubhankar.
Shubhankar thus garnered his third professional title and
took home the cheque worth Rs 4,50,000 to move up from second to first position
in the Rolex Ranking. His season’s earnings read Rs 13,00,000.
Shubhankar said, “I did well with the irons today even
though I think I wasn’t at my best. It was tense out there towards the end. I
thought Khalin will easily win at the end but I got lucky when he
double-bogeyed the last.
“A key moment during my round was when I was looking for a
chip-in from the back edge of the 18th green but my caddie advised me to
go for a chip-putt instead as he informed me that Khalin had just missed the
fairway and was in trouble on the 18th. I immediately changed my strategy
thanks to the timely advice of my caddie.
“It’s been a fantastic season for me so far and I’ll now be
playing some events on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in the next few weeks
in order to get more exposure as well as world ranking points,” added
Shubhankar, an Asian Tour rookie.
For Khalin Joshi it was another near miss at the RCGC. He
had earlier come close to winning at the same venue during the Tour
Championship last December.
Joshi said, “I’ve been struggling as far as closing matches
is concerned and that was once again the case today. Nonetheless, it’s been a
good week. I’ll now head to play some events on the ADT to tune my game
further.”
Shankar Das (75-68-70-67), lying overnight tied eighth,
jumped into the fray on the final day much to the delight of the local crowd
thanks to five birdies against two bogeys on the first 13 holes. He became a
serious contender with two more birdies on 15 and 17, making a chip-in on the
latter, before falling short by just one stroke at the end.
“I knew I was in with a chance from the 15th onwards
when I trailed the leader by just two shots. I then tried to attack the pins
for birdies. I feel I’m getting back into my groove now. I’m pleased that I
could give everyone here at RCGC something to cheer on the final day,” said
Shankar.
Noida’s Amardip Sinh Malik and Bengaluru’s C Muniyappa
finished fourth and fifth at seven-under-281 and six-under-282 respectively.
Kolkata’s Feroz Ali Mollah, the leader in the first two
rounds, claimed tied sixth place at five-under-283 along with Delhi’ Shamim
Khan, Ajeetesh Sandhu of Chandigarh and Sri Lankan L Prabagaran.
Sri Lankan N Thangaraja, the third round joint leader, ended
the tournament in 10th place at four-under-284 after a final round of 75.
SSP Chawrasia’s special gesture
Kolkata’s SSP Chawrasia, who finished tied 29th at
five-over-293, may not have made a lasting impression on the course during the
Kolkata Classic, but he won many a heart among golf fans across the country by
turning out at his home course this week despite feeling the effects of a
draining Indian Open last week, a title he finally won after a long wait.
Chawrasia said, “The Indian Open win took a lot out of me
mentally and physically. But I didn't want to take a break after the win as I
was committed to playing the Kolkata Classic this week as I wanted to extend my
full support to this new event which is a step in the right direction to revive
professional golf in Kolkata.
“The Kolkata Classic is a great initiative by the PGTI and
will help the tour grow further. The PGTI provided me the launching pad for my
international career so I’m pleased that I could play my part in promoting the
event and the tour.
“I also owe a lot to the RCGC having played here all my
life. I want to support all events at the RCGC. I’d like to see more talent
emerge from the club which has now produced three Indian Open champions
including Feroz Ali Mollah, Arjun Atwal and myself.”
Prize Presentation Picture Caption:
Shubhankar Sharma receives the trophy and cheque from Mr.
Aditya Khaitan, Captain, RCGC. Also seen at the prize presentation ceremony are
Mr. Brandon de Souza, MD, Tiger Sports (extreme left), Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy,
Director, PGTI (2nd from left) and Ms. Sneha Ramesh representing Manyavar.
Press release
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