Honey Baisoya in the driver’s seat with a seven-shot lead; Aman Raj slips to T11

Noida, September 21, 2017: Delhi’s Honey Baisoya was in the driver’s seat after round three of the PGTI Players Championship at Noida Golf Course as he pulled ahead by a substantial seven shots courtesy a fiery six-under-66 on Thursday. Baisoya, who totaled 15-under-201 for three days, is now well-placed for a successful title defence at the Rs. 30 lakh event.

Bengaluru’s C Muniyappa (68) and Noida’s Vikrant Chopra (69) were a distant tied second at eight-under-208.

Honey Baisoya (66-69-66), the runner-up last week in Jaipur and the overnight leader by one shot, will now be the firm favourite for the title come Friday. Baisoya, looking for his second win of the year, had a blazing start in the third round with three birdies on the first six holes which gave him a handy lead early in the day.

The 21-year-old Baisoya’s bogey on the seventh was negated by three more birdies on the ninth, 10^th and 13^th as he sank almost everything that came his way. Honey bogeyed the 15^th against the run of play but ended the round on a high with birdies on the 17^th and 18^th, making a 15-feet conversion on the latter.

Baisoya, who fired a record 19 eagles on the PGTI last season, said, “I’m quite happy with my current position. I have the self belief since I won at this venue earlier this year.

“My best birdies today came on the sixth and 18^th. I was on the cart path on the sixth and didn’t have a clear shot at the green, but still managed to hit it within ten feet of the flag. The final birdie from 15 feet on the 18^th further lifted my spirits. I also made a great par save after landing it on the bunker lip on the third.

“I’m quite satisfied about the fact that I’ve been extremely consistent in the second half of the season so far having posted top-6 finishes in the last three events. I’ve been playing with my natural aggressive attitude and that has only helped me grow in confidence,” added Baisoya, who is currently placed sixth on the PGTI Order of Merit.

C Muniyappa’s (69-71-68) third round 68 propelled him from overnight tied ninth to tied second place. Muniyappa used his wedges to great effect setting up a tap-in birdie on the 14^th and thereafter recovering from the bunker on the 18^th to land it within six feet for par.

Local lad Vikrant Chopra (69-70-69) emerged as a contender for the second week running after a timely 69 that moved him up three places from overnight tied fifth. Chopra set up four feet birdie putts on three occasions thanks to some brilliant chipping.

Delhi’s Sachin Baisoya occupied fourth place at seven-under-209.

Gaurav Pratap Singh of Noida shared fifth place at six-under-210 along with Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane, Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha and Gurgaon’s Shivendra Singh Sisodia.

Today was a bad day for Aman Raj as he shot 4 over 76 to be placed tied 11 with an aggregate of 4 under 212. The Patna lad was on the lead on the first day of the championships with 7 under 65.

Defending champ Honey Baisoya moves ahead in round two; Patna's AmanRaj slips to 2nd

Honey Baisoya

Noida, September 20, 2017: Delhi’s Honey Baisoya, the defending champion, posted a solid three-under-69 to establish a one-shot lead in round two of the PGTI Players Championship at Noida Golf Course. Baisoya’s total read nine-under-135 at the halfway stage of the Rs. 30 lakh event.

Round one leader Aman Raj (71) of Patna slipped to second place at eight-under-136.

The cut fell at three-over-147. Fifty-seven professionals made the cut.

Honey Baisoya (66-69) shot a 69 that helped him move up from overnight tied second to first place. Baisoya displayed the kind of form that saw him win at the Noida Golf Course earlier this year.

Honey, a three-time winner on the PGTI, dropped bogeys on the 11^th and 13^th, before rallying with consecutive birdies on the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th where he came up with some outstanding wedge shots. The 21-year-old Baisoya, who made the turn at even-par after a bogey on the 18^th, produced a flawless front-nine, adding three more birdies to his card to end up with an imposing nine-under.  

Baisoya said, “I’ve done pretty well with 13 birdies in the tournament so far. This is not an easy course to score low once the wind comes into play as it did today. Importantly, I’ve been striking it really well and have been aggressive on the first two days.

“I recovered extremely well today despite the early setbacks. I’m now looking at scoring 11-under over the next two days to take my total to 20-under which should be good enough for the title,” added Honey whose 69 was the day’s joint best score.

Aman Raj (65-71) too had a slow start like Baisoya as he dropped a couple of strokes on the first five holes. Aman was thereafter denied birdies as his putts lipped out on multiple occasions. But the former 2016 Emerging Player of the Year turned it around with a chip-in birdie on the seventh. That was followed by two more birdies on the eighth and ninth.

Aman Raj said, “I was striving for a birdie all day but when I saw my chip roll in on the seventh it gave me a lot of satisfaction and confidence. I knew I was still in the game at that stage. I fought my way back into the match thereafter. The approach on the ninth was special as it landed three feet from the pin and led to another birdie.

“I’ll need to grind it out from here on and just repeat what I did in the first two rounds.”

Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane kept himself in contention as he closed the second round in third place at seven-under-137. Gurgaon’s Shivendra Singh Sisodia was another shot back in fourth.

Vikrant Chopra was the highest-placed among the Noida golfers. He was tied fifth at five-under-139.

Noida golfers Amardip Sinh Malik (three-under-141) and Gaurav Pratap Singh (two-under-142) were placed tied 13^th and tied 17^th respectively.

Among the other Noida golfers who made the cut, were Dipankar Kaushal (tied 20^th at one-under-143), Rahul Bajaj (tied 29^th at even-par-144), Arjun Singh Chaudhri, Raju Singh and Vikram Rana (all in tied 47^that three-over-147).

Press release

Patna's Aman Raj blasts 7 under 65 to take lead at Noida

Aman Raj of Patna

Noida, September 19, 2017: Patna’s Aman Raj came up with a terrific seven-under-65 to take the lead in round one of the PGTI Players Championship at Noida Golf Course.

Delhi’s Honey Baisoya and Gurgaon-based Shivendra Singh Sisodia occupied tied second at six-under-66.

Aman Raj took the early advantage at the Noida Golf Course on Tuesday thanks to a round that featured an outstanding nine birdies against two bogeys. Aman’s hot putter ensured he was quick off the blocks as he sank some long putts to move to five-under through eight holes.

The 22-year-old, playing his second season as a professional, bogeyed the ninth but came back stronger with four more birdies on the back-nine where he landed his chip shots within a couple of feet on two occasions. The 2016 Emerging Player of the Year dropped a stroke on the 18^th to end the day with a seven-under.

Aman said, “I shot an eight-under in the final round of the Jaipur event last week that helped me finish in the top-10. I feel I’ve carried forward the form and confidence from there.

“I struck it well today and didn’t miss many greens. Whenever I missed the green, I recovered with some good chips. I capitalized on all four par-5s today with birdies. I believe hitting fairways will be crucial this week as the fairways are pretty narrow here. My target score for the week will be anything above 15-under. That will give me a good chance to bag my first title.

“The first half of the 2017 season was good, but the second half has not been up to my expectations so far. However, I feel my game is coming back and I just need to keep grinding from here on,” added Aman, who is currently in 13^th position on the PGTI Order of Merit.

Defending champion Honey Baisoya, who finished runner-up last week in Jaipur, continued to impress with seven birdies and a bogey in the opening round at Noida. Baisoya, a winner of three events, including one this year, made some brilliant recoveries from the bunker and the rough on at least three occasions to salvage birdies.

Shivendra Singh Sisodia also had seven birdies and a bogey to show on his card. Sisodia was two-under at the turn but his round took off after his birdie chip-in on the 12^th. He collected three more birdies thereafter to end the day with a solid 66.

Local lad Amardip Sinh Malik was the highest-placed among the Noida golfers. He shot a 68 to be tied for fourth along with Mukesh Kumar of Mhow, Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane and Delhi-based Himmat Singh Rai.

Among the nine golfers bunched in tied eighth at 69 was Noida’s Vikrant Chopra.

PGTI release

Rookie N Thangaraja outshines Vijay Kumar in a playoff to claim maiden title

N Thangaraja receives the trophy from Rakesh Agnihotri, captain, Noida Golf Course on December 14, 2013

Noida, December 14, 2013: Rookie N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka claimed his maiden professional title after overcoming a spirited challenge from the seasoned Vijay Kumar of Lucknow at the PGTI Players Championship at Noida Golf Course. Thangaraja triumphed over Vijay on the fourth playoff hole after the two golfers had ended the regulations 72 holes with matching scores of four-under-284.

N Thangaraja (68-72-71-73), the overnight leader by five strokes, looked all set to cruise to a comfortable win as he birdied the second and fourth holes from six feet and 15 feet respectively to build on his lead. The 32-year-old from Colombo then dropped strokes on the ninth, 13th and 15th after hitting his tee shots to the left on all three occasions. This allowed Vijay Kumar (72-75-70-67), who shot the day’s best score of 67, a foot in the door.

Vijay Kumar, placed seventh after round three, had a steady front-nine where he made two birdies and a bogey. The 45-year-old, one of the dominant figures on the Indian professional circuit in the 1990s, then made a charge on the back-nine with three straight birdies from the 10th to the 12th and another on the 18th to take the match to a playoff. Vijay sank 20-footers on the 10th and 11th.

Thangaraja and Vijay made pars on the first three playoff holes. Thangaraja, who only took to golf six years back at age 26, finally won the long battle of nerves on the fourth playoff hole. The Sri Lankan made an excellent chip-putt for par on the deciding hole while Vijay missed a five-footer for par.

Thangaraja has now climbed from 19th to ninth place on the Rolex Rankings. He is also placed third in the Emerging Player of the Year list.

“I started well today but then faltered on the back-nine as a result of some poor tee shots. The strategy was to make pars and play steady. I only attacked the relatively safer pins which were in the centre of the greens. I was unfortunate not to make a birdie on the 16th where I missed a chip-in by a whisker. Nonetheless, I turned it around in the playoff due to my focus and patience. I took my time while putting and read the lines to perfection. I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes from last week when I had the title in my grasp but ended up finishing runner-up.

“It’s great to win a title in my first season as a professional that too after defeating the experienced Vijay Kumar in a playoff. This gives me a lot of momentum and self-belief going forward,” said the ever-smiling Thangaraja.

Noida’s Rahul Bajaj fired a 69 in the final round at his home course to climb from overnight joint eighth to tied third at one-under-287. Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah carded a 71 to grab a share of third place along with Bajaj.

Khalin Joshi of Bangalore secured fifth place at even-par-288 after posting a 68 in the final round.

Press release

Thangaraja surges ahead in round three

N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka

Noida, December 13, 2013: N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka continued in the lead for the third straight day at the PGTI Players Championship at Noida Golf Course after he shot a one-under-71. Thangaraja thus built a five-shot lead ahead of the final round as his total read five-under-211. M Dharma of Bangalore, Nepal’s Shivaram Shrestha, Kolkata’s Raju Ali Mollah, Bangladeshi Md Zamal Hossain Mollah and Ranjit Singh of Chandigarh are currently in tied second place.

Thangaraja (68-72-71), the overnight joint leader, took a giant leap towards his maiden professional title after firing a tenacious 71 in testing conditions on Friday. The 32-year-old was on fire on the first 10 holes as he picked up five birdies against a lone bogey. Thangaraja displayed some superb iron-play as he landed his approach shots within three feet on three occasions for birdies on the second, sixth and seventh. He chipped-in from the bunker for birdie on the fifth and sank a 15-feet birdie putt on the 10th.

Thangaraja’s tee shots were off the mark on the 12th, 13th and 16th. He also missed chip-putts on these holes and as a result dropped bogeys.

“I played really well on the first 10 holes but struggled with my tee shots and my short-game thereafter. I hit it well with the 3-wood. I’ll look to make maximum fairways and greens in the final round and play some consistent golf. I enjoy a comfortable lead at the moment but I need to make a solid start in the final round in order to capitalize on the advantage,” said Thangaraja, who finished runner-up at PGTI’s event in Sri Lanka last week.

Ranjit Singh, the overnight joint leader, slipped to tied second place after returning a 76 in round three that took his total to even-par-216. Ranjit was joined by M Dharma, Shivaram Shrestha, Raju Ali Mollah and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah in tied second place. Dharma fired a 69 on Friday.

Ranjit Singh and Thangaraja are joint leaders at the halfway stage

 N Thangaraja 

Ranjit Singh

Noida, December 12, 2013: Chandigarh’s Ranjit Singh and Sri Lankan N Thangaraja share the lead at four-under-140 after round two of the PGTI Players Championship at Noida Golf Course. Ranjit fired a one-under-71 on Thursday while Thangaraja shot an even-par-72.

The cut was declared at seven-over-151. Fifty-one professionals made the cut.

Ranjit Singh (69-71) made three birdies against two bogeys in round two to climb from overnight tied second to joint first. Ranjit landed his tee shot within four feet for his opening birdie of the day on the par-3 third. The 38-year-old then produced a brilliant second shot from 50 yards out on the seventh that stopped one foot from the flag and led to another birdie. Ranjit’s final birdie of the day came on the 13th where he converted a 10-footer. He also dropped bogeys on the 11th and 18th.

“I landed it close today and did well to negotiate the tough conditions. It was difficult to judge the direction of the wind since it was swirling. I’m quite satisfied with my effort of 71 in the prevailing conditions. I’ll look to repeat this performance in the next two rounds. The only disappointment was the bogey on the closing 18th that came as a result of poor club-selection,” said Ranjit, who is looking to win his maiden professional title.

Thangaraja (68-72), the overnight leader, had a poor start to the day as he bogeyed the 10th and 12th. He then rallied with birdies on the first, third and fourth. The 32-year-old sank a 15-footer on the third and landed his approach within three feet of the pin on the fourth. Thangaraja dropped another stroke on the closing ninth to end up with a steady 72 on Thursday.

“My driving was poor for the second straight day. However, I managed to stay in contention with some consistent golf,” said Thangaraja.

Md Zamal Hossain Mollah of Bangladesh is in third position with a total of three-under-141 while Delhi’s Rashid Khan is a further stroke behind in fourth place.

Press release

Thangaraja’s 68 powers him to the top in round one

N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka

Noida, December 11, 2013: Sri Lankan N Thangaraja fired a four-under-68 to take the lead in round one of the PGTI Players Championship at Noida Golf Course. Delhi’s Gaurav Ghei, Ranjit Singh of Chandigarh and Bangladeshi Md Zamal Hossain Mollah were in tied second place with scores of three-under-69.

Thangaraja, the runner-up at last week’s PGTI event in Sri Lanka, continued his good form in Noida with a solid opening round. The 32-year-old from Colombo hit a couple of poor drives on the first and second holes but recovered well to make birdies on both occasions. He landed his third shot within four feet on the first and sank a 20-footer on the second.

Thangaraja impressed with the putter as he converted 15-feet birdie putts on the fifth and 16th. He did well to find the green in two on the eighth and 14th, both par-5s, to set up birdies. Thangaraja, currently placed 19th on the Rolex Rankings, also had a birdie on the 13th besides a bogey on the seventh and a double-bogey on the 17th. He found the water hazard on the 17th which led to the double-bogey.

“I couldn’t find the fairways on the first two holes but did extremely well to recover on both occasions and salvage birdies. That gave me a good start. I made a few long putts today and carried forward my good putting form from last week. Scoring won’t be easy this week as the fairways are narrow, the course is playing longer and it’s also windy. I can’t afford to hit it left or right in the next few rounds like I did today,” said Thangaraja.

Ranjit Singh chipped-in for eagle on the first and also made four birdies against three bogeys during his first round of 69 to be placed joint second.

Both Gaurav Ghei and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah made four birdies against three bogeys in their respective rounds to share second position along with Ranjit Singh.

Rolex Rankings leader Rashid Khan of Delhi, Noida’s Pradeep Kumar, Mysore golfer Harish K, Mandeo Singh Pathania of Greater Noida and Delhi’s Naman Dawar occupied tied fifth place with scores of 70.

Dipankar Kaushal of Noida chipped-in from 20 yards for eagle on the par-4 second hole during his round of 74 that placed him tied 27th.