Rashid Khan steals the show on final day of PGTI Ahmedabad Masters

Ahmedabad, September 16, 2016: Delhi’s Rashid Khan stole the show on the final day of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens as he registered an exhilarating come-from-behind victory over last year’s champion Khalin Joshi of Bengaluru.

Rashid, who began the day, trailing third round leader Khalin by three strokes, posted a resolute three-under-69 in round four, to come up trumps at the end with a final tally of 12-under-276. Khalin shot a final round one-over-73 to finish runner-up at 11-under-277 at the Rs. 30 lakh event.

Rashid Khan (67-69-71-69), lying overnight second, made the early breakthroughs on day four as he erased the three-shot deficit between Khalin Joshi (68-65-71-73) and himself by the sixth hole. The three-shot swing came as a result of Khan gaining shots on the first and sixth, the latter from 15 feet, and Joshi dropping a bogey on the sixth.

At this stage, the contest between the two long-time friends, 25-year-old Rashid and 24-year-old Khalin, seemed set for a nail-biting finish.

But Rashid lost some momentum and conceded a one-shot lead to Khalin when he mixed two bogeys with a birdie over the next four holes. Khan missed the green on the seventh and 10th that led to the two bogeys.

Both the players birdied the 11th, but Rashid got back to level terms when he picked a second straight birdie on the par-5 12thwhere Khalin missed out from the centre of the fairway.

The buzz among the professionals who had finished their rounds was that the par-5 14th hole would be the decider and that is exactly what happened. Khan went two in front on the 14th after making an up and down for birdie even as Joshi, who struggled with his hitting in round four, missed the fairway and bogeyed that hole.

There was no looking back for Rashid from there on. A bogey on 16 didn’t do much damage to his round as he coasted to a one-shot win thereby dousing Khalin’s hopes of defending his title. It was his second win within a span of 40 days and his seventh overall on the PGTI.

Rashid said, “The wind was up today and I knew a round of four or five under would do the job for me. I was very confident about my putting going into the last round as I had been very consistent on the greens all week. I had done well from a range of about 10 to 12 feet and not made a single three-putt in the previous three rounds. I managed to keep that record intact on the final day.

“This has to be one of my best wins so far. It was great to turn it around despite being three behind after round three. I think the two-shot swing in my favour on the 14th was the turning point of the day. However, it was a tough fight till the end.

“I feel I’m in the winning zone now and the few things that I worked on this year are shaping up well. I really enjoyed myself here at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens as the course was in great condition and presented quite a few challenges. I look forward to coming back here next year,” added an elated Rashid.

The win that also accounted for Khan’s second title of the year, lifted him from fifth place to second position in the Rolex Ranking as he took home the winner’s cheque worth Rs. 4,50,000.

Panchkula’s Shubhankar Sharma continues to lead the rankings with season’s earnings of Rs. 16,42,680. Rashid has closed the gap on the leader, as his total earnings now stand at Rs. 15,89,910. Khalin Joshi moved up from fourth to third (Rs. 14,81,400) after his runner-up finish in Ahmedabad.

Bengaluru’s Chikkarangappa, who shot the day’s best score of 67, finished tied third at eight-under-280 along with Sri Lankan Anura Rohana (69).

Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow aced the 11th during his final round of 73. He claimed fifth place at seven-under-281.

Shubhankar Sharma secured joint sixth place at three-under-285 to continue in the lead in the Rolex Ranking. Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu also took a share of sixth place.

Ahmedabad’s Varun Parikh, the lone amateur to make the cut, bagged the trophy for the best performance by an amateur at the event. He finished overall 38th at 15-over-303.

Prize Presentation Picture Caption:

Rashid Khan receives the winning cheque and trophy from Mr. Dinesh Shah, Chairman, Navratna Organisers & Developers Pvt. Ltd. (2nd from right), Mr. Devang Shah, MD, Navratna Organisers & Developers Pvt. Ltd. (2nd from left), Mr. Pranav Shah, MD, Navratna Organisers & Developers Pvt. Ltd. (extreme right) and Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI (extreme left).

PGT release and photo

Khalin Joshi maintains three-stroke advantage in third round

Khalin Joshi 

Ahmedabad, September 15, 2016: Reigning champion Khalin Joshi of Bengaluru maintained his three-stroke lead in round three of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens. Joshi, who brought in a card of one-under-71 in the penultimate round, took his tournament tally to 12-under-204.

Delhi’s Rashid Khan also fired a 71 to hold on to his overnight second place at nine-under-207.

Khalin Joshi (68-65-71), the second round leader by two shots, was off to yet another terrific start as he birdied his first two holes for the third successive day. Joshi then scrambled for a bogey on the fourth before quickly recovering ground with another birdie on the fifth.

There seemed to be a twist on the back-nine as Rashid Khan (67-69-71) closed the gap to one stroke after an eagle-birdie run on the 12th and 13th. Rashid came extremely close to achieving a rare albatross on the par-5 12thwhere his approach from 200 yards out landed within a foot of the flag for a tap-in eagle.

Both Khalin and Rashid bogeyed the 14th with the former limiting the damage with a 12-feet conversion after hitting his second shot out of bounds. But Joshi, who closed the day with birdie-bogey on the 17th and 18th, was back in the driver’s seat with a three-shot cushion at the end of the day as Khan conceded a disastrous double-bogey on the 18th where he found the slope of the water hazard and had to take a penalty drop.

Joshi said, “I didn’t shoot a low number but it was a decent round since the playing conditions were tough today. The wind was up, the tees were pushed back and the pin positions were not easy either. It was tough to commit to a shot.

“I’ve enjoyed some splendid starts this week and that has set it up well for me in each round. However, for the second straight day today, I closed the round with a bogey. So I’m a tad disappointed with that.

“The good news is that, I struck it better in round three as compared to the first two days. I’ll not go out there in the final round thinking about defending my title as that will only put further pressure on me. I just need to play my best and that should do the job,” added Khalin.

The stage is thus set for a fascinating duel between the 24-year-old Khalin and the 25-year-old Rashid, two golfers who have played a lot of golf together in their formative years.

Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow too maintained status quo on day three as he held on to his overnight third position courtesy a 71. His total stood at eight-under-208.

Panchkula-based Rolex Ranking leader Shubhankar Sharma was in fourth at six-under-210 while Sri Lankan Anura Rohana was a further shot back in fifth place.

Noida’s Vikrant Chopra produced the day’s best score of 67 to move up 17 places from overnight tied 28th to 11th position.

Ahmedabad’s Varun Parikh, the lone amateur to make the cut, returned an 80 on Thursday to be placed tied 41st at 11-over-227.

PGTI Press release and photo

Defending champ Khalin Joshi storms into three-shot lead

Khalin Joshi of Bengaluru 

Ahmedabad, September 14, 2016: Defending champion Khalin Joshi of Bengaluru raised hopes of retaining his title at the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens after shooting a top-class seven-under-65 on day two, the week’s best round so far. He thus stormed into a healthy three-stroke lead at the halfway stage as his total moved to 11-under-133.

Delhi’s Rashid Khan occupied second place at eight-under-136 after his second round of 69.

Khalin Joshi (68-65), lying overnight tied third, one off the pace, began the day with birdies on the first and second, with the latter witnessing his third chip-in of the week. The 24-year-old’s birdie blitz continued on the seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 14th as he seemed to inch towards his last year’s course record of nine-under-63, which he shot in the final round.

However, the last four holes saw Joshi make two bogeys thanks to missed opportunities from close range, against a lone birdie. Khalin finally ended with a classy 65.

Joshi said, “I’ve been doing well with the putter over the last two days. I sank two birdies from 20 to 25 feet today. However, I feel, I need to stroke the ball well on the greens. I’ve enjoyed fantastic starts on both days and that has helped my cause.

“I like the greens here and the layout of this course also suits my eye as I mostly play the draw from right to left. I landed it quite close on a few occasions today for birdie tap-ins,” said Khalin, who won a PGTI event in Mewat, Haryana, last month.

“The confidence is high since my last win but I need to improve in a couple of areas in the last two rounds. I’m not very comfortable with the irons going into the flag. I also didn’t close the round well today. If I can address these troubles, I’ll be in with a chance,” Joshi, a three-time winner on the PGTI, added.

Rashid Khan (67-69), the overnight joint leader, slipped to second place on a day he struck five birdies and two bogeys. Khan, despite struggling with his wedges, made the turn at two-under, he then drained a 25-footer on the fourth and followed that up with another birdie on the next hole to move to a promising four-under for the day.

Rashid, however, did not finish well, as he found the water on the eighth to drop his second bogey of the day.

Khan’s playing partner Om Prakash Chouhan (69-68) of Mhow returned an eagle, three birdies and a bogey during his round of 68 to end the day in third at seven-under-137.

Delhi’s Kapil Kumar fired an incredible eight birdies in his round which were to an extent negated by a bogey and a double-bogey. He carded a 67 to move into fourth at six-under-138.

Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu (68) was a further shot behind in fifth place.

Chikkarangappa (67-76) of Bengaluru, the overnight joint leader with Rashid, dropped to 14th place at one-under-143 after a forgettable 76 in round two.

Ahmedabad-based amateur Varun Parikh (72-75) followed up his opening round effort of 72 with a 75 on day two to take his tally to three-over-147. Parikh, placed tied 28th, was the only amateur and local player to make the cut.

The cut fell at seven-over-151. Fifty professionals and one amateur made the cut.

PGTI press release and photo

Chikkarangappa, Rashid Khan share the spoils in round one of PGTI Ahmedabad Masters

Chikkarangappa S 

Ahmedabad, September 13, 2016: Bengaluru’s Chikkarangappa S and Delhi’s Rashid Khan lived up to their reputation of being the tournament favourites at the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens, as they began the week with first round scores of five-under-67 to be the joint leaders.

Defending champion Khalin Joshi, another Bengalurean, and Patna-based rookie Aman Raj and Jaipur’s Vishal Singh shared the third spot as they trailed the leaders by one stroke.

Reigning Rolex Ranking champion Chikkarangappa, the winner of PGTI’s last event in Bengaluru, continued his hot streak as he posted a solid opening round of 67 at the picturesque Kalhaar Blues & Greens on Tuesday.

Chikka, high on confidence from his win last week, was on the button right away, as he began the tournament with a 15-feet birdie conversion on the first. He followed that up with four straight birdies from the fifth to the eighth, where he sank three, 12 to 18 feet putts, and also set up a tap-in from the bunker.

The two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour then had a rollercoaster back-nine. Chikka dropped a shot on the 11th but came back with an eagle chip-in on the next hole. The 22-year-old then conceded a double-bogey on the 13th as a result of finding the water. However, he finally managed to pull one stroke back with a birdie on the closing 18th.

Chikka said, “Even though I won last week, I had struggled with my putting. But I’m happy that today I regained my touch with the putter. I’m also hitting longer thanks to my improved fitness and strength.

“I was going really well till the turn, having been 5-under. I think I could’ve taken advantage of that position and finished better. Nonetheless, I realize it’s going to be a tough week to score low, so I’m quite happy with my first round effort.

“One needs to hit it well off the tee here and place it nicely on the fairway as the water hazards come into play on almost every hole. If you’re driving it around 270 to 280 yards, you have a good chance of avoiding trouble. I feel that’s going to be my strength this week,” added Chikka, a winner of nine titles.

Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan, also displayed fine form with the putter on day one to match Chikka’s 67. Rashid, who won a PGTI event in Noida last month, drained six birdie putts from a range of 10 to 15 feet. He dropped a lone bogey on Tuesday.

“The win in Noida was a big morale-booster for me. I’ve carried the confidence from that performance into this week. In between, I also had a decent outing at the European Masters in Switzerland which had a world-class field. The tied 41st finish there, helped my confidence soar further,” said a confident Rashid.

Khalin Joshi had a dream start to the tournament as he reeled off birdies on his first three holes (10th to 12th). Joshi had two consecutive chip-ins on the 10th and 11th before he picked up another stroke on the par-5 12th. He followed that up with a bogey and two more birdies for a well-deserved four-under-68.

Vishal Singh, like Khalin, also made five birdies and a bogey, while rookie Aman Raj produced six birdies and two bogeys, to join Joshi in tied third place.

Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane and Mhow’s Om Prakash Chouhan were tied sixth after rounds of three-under-69.

Ahmedabad-based amateur Varun Parikh shot an even-par-72 to be tied 19th. Parikh was the highest-placed local golfer at the end of round one.

PGTI release and photo 

Khalin Joshi’s final round heroics earn him title and course record at PGTI Ahmedabad Masters

Ahmedabad, April 3, 2015: Bangalore’s Khalin Joshi shot a course record nine-under-63 on the final day to register a sensational come-from-behind victory at the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens. Joshi signed off with a 17-under-271 total to bag his second professional crown. Chikkarangappa, another Bangalorean, finished runner-up at 15-under-273 after his final round of five-under-67.

Khalin Joshi (70-67-71-63), who was placed eight shots off the lead in fifth place after round three, came out firing on all cylinders on Friday to steamroll all opposition in sight. The 22-year-old began the day with an eagle-birdie on the first two holes courtesy a perfect approach shot on the first which found the hole and a 15-feet conversion on the second.

Khalin emerged top contender for the title when he struck four birdies on the trot from the sixth through the ninth to go past overnight leader Shubhankar Sharma who dropped two strokes on the front nine. Joshi’s four consecutive birdies featured two conversions from a range of 10 to 15 feet.

Khalin all but nailed it with two more birdies on the 11th and 12th even as Shubhankar slipped out of contention after conceding four more strokes from the 10th to the 12th. Joshi, who won his first title at Noida in October last year, landed it within five feet on the ninth and 11th and was two-on on the par-5s eighth and 12th.  

Khalin thus broke the previous course record of 64 set by Anirban Lahiri in the opening round of last year’s PGTI Ahmedabad Masters. Joshi, who took home the winner’s cheque worth Rs. 6 lakh, has now climbed from eighth place to third position in the Rolex Rankings. The Bangalore lad’s earnings for the year now stand at Rs. 10,57,093. Mukesh Kumar of Mhow continues to lead the rankings with earnings of Rs. 14,70,780.

“I’m delighted to have won after shooting a 63 in such tough and windy conditions. I had a terrific front-nine and was seven-under for the day at the turn. However, I was not aware of the leaderboard till the 16th. All I knew was that I was within striking distance of matching my personal best of 10-under.

“I struck the ball well through the week but the putts rolled in for me only on the final day. I sank three putts from a range of 10 to 15 feet. The highlight of the day though was the approach shot from 160 yards out on the first. It was a perfect six-iron shot which bounced one foot short of the pin before dropping into the hole for an eagle. I was really comfortable on the course today and knew I could shoot a low score from the very outset.

“My scoring has become much more consistent in recent months and my short game is shaping up well. I now want to make the best of my limited opportunities on the Asian Tour and try to earn my card for the 2016 season in Asia. I’m also glad to have won in Gujarat as I’m a Gujarati. This win will make my grandfather Mr. Natwar Lal Joshi very proud. I dedicate this win to him,” said Khalin.

Chikkarangappa (69-66-71-67) held on to his overnight second place with a round of 67 that included eight birdies and three bogeys. Chikka had three birdies on the last five holes to reduce the gap to two strokes between himself and Joshi.

Shubhankar Sharma (69-65-66-77) shot a disappointing five-over-77 to slip from overnight first to third place at 11-under-277. Sharma dropped out of the race after making bogeys on the fourth, eighth, 11th and 12th and a double-bogey on the 10th as he couldn’t replicate his iron-play from the first three rounds. The turning point for Shubhankar was the bogey on the eighth where he found the water. The Gurgaon-based professional picked up his only birdie of the day on the 17th.

Sri Lankan Anura Rohana and Delhi’s Rashid Khan were joint fourth at 10-under-278 while Kolkata’s SSP Chawrasia and Sanjeev Kumar of Lucknow were a further three shots back in tied sixth.

Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee was tied 12th at two-under-286 while Sri Lankan Mithun Perera ended tied 19th at one-over-289.

Patna’s Aman Raj, the lone amateur to make the cut, won the trophy for the best performance by an amateur. He finished 43rd at 11-over-299.

Photo caption: Khalin Joshi receives the trophy and cheque from (L to R) Mr. Pranav Shah, MD, Navratna Group, Mr. Dinesh Shah, Chairman, Navratna Group and Mr. Devang Shah, MD, Navratna Group, also seen in the picture is Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI (extreme left)

PGTI Press release

Shubhankar Sharma takes route 65 to top of the leaderboard in round two

Shubhankar Sharma

Ahmedabad, April 1, 2015: Shubhankar Sharma of the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, climbed to the top of the leaderboard after his superb seven-under-65 in round two of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens. Shubhankar, as a result, took his two-day tally to 10-under-134 to lead by one shot at the halfway stage. Chikkarangappa S of Bangalore and Noida’s Rahul Bajaj were on the leader’s tail at nine-under-135.

The cut was declared at four-over-148. Fifty professionals and one amateur made the cut.

Shubhankar Sharma (69-65), who was overnight tied seventh, picked up his first shot of the day with a good up and down from the bunker on the 12th. However, he found the water hazard on the next hole and therefore dropped a shot. The 18-year-old got back into rhythm with a 20-feet eagle conversion on the 14th and a 10-feet birdie putt on the 16th.

Shubhankar, who finished joint runner-up at the last PGTI event in Kochi, then produced a breathtaking tee shot on the second that left him a tap-in for birdie. Sharma pulled out some brilliant chips that led to relatively easy birdie conversions on the fourth, fifth and eighth holes. He thus ended up with the tournament’s best round so far.

“I’ve been hitting my irons really well this season. I continued to do that today. I was also exceptional around the greens. I did well to capitalize on the par-5s as I was five-under on the four par-5s today. The Kalhaar Blues & Greens is one of the best championship venues in the country at the moment. The key this week would be to putt well and judge the green speed to perfection,” said Shubhankar, who is currently placed fifth in the Rolex Rankings.

He added, “I’m high on confidence this week as I had a top-10 finish here last year. My top-20 finish at this year’s Indian Open has also been a morale-booster.”

Chikkarangappa (69-66), who was also overnight tied seventh along with Shubhankar, made his way to joint second after a bogey-free 66. Chikka made his six birdies over a stretch of seven holes from the ninth to the 15th. He sank three birdie putts from a range of 10 to 20 feet.

“In my memory it’s the first time that I’ve registered 18 greens in regulation in a single round of a tournament. That just goes to show how well I hit it. I’ve posted top-10s in all my three starts on the PGTI this year, so I’m quite happy with my game at the moment. This is a good preparation ground for me for this year’s Asian Tour season,” said Chikka, who earned his first ever Asian Tour card earlier this year.

  

Rahul Bajaj (68-67) made an incredible eight birdies against three bogeys in his round of 67. Bajaj, who was overnight tied third, climbed one place to joint second.

Khalin Joshi of Bangalore had the distinction of firing two eagles besides two birdies and a bogey during his round of 67. Khalin landed his approach shots within four feet for eagles on the eighth and 14th. He ended the day in fourth place at seven-under-137.

The joint round one leaders, Rashid Khan of Delhi and Lucknow’s Sanjeev Kumar, slipped to tied fifth after submitting identical scores of 71 in round two. The duo shared fifth position with Gurgaon-based Arshdeep Tiwana at six-under-138.

The Kolkata duo of SSP Chawrasia and Rahil Gangjee were in tied 14th at two-under-142 while Sri Lankan Mithun Perera was placed tied 29th at even-par-144.

K Prabagaran, another Sri Lankan, was the other player besides Khalin Joshi, to fire two aces in his second round. Prabagaran’s second round 73 placed him tied 42nd at three-over-147.

Aman Raj of Patna was the lone amateur to make the cut as he totaled four-over-148 to be placed tied 49th.

Among the prominent names, who missed the cut, were Gaganjeet Bhullar (five-over-149) and Himmat Singh Rai (10-over-154).

The three local amateurs Anshul Patel (six-over-150), Varun Parikh (10-over-154) and Jay Pandya (12-over-156) missed the cut.

PGTI Press release

Rashid Khan and Sanjeev Kumar share the spoils on opening day of PGTI Ahmedabad Masters

Rashid Khan 

Ahmedabad, March 31, 2015: Delhi’s Rashid Khan and Sanjeev Kumar of Lucknow shared the spoils in round one of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens. Rashid and Sanjeev shot scores of five-under-67 to top the leaderboard on the opening day of the Rs. 40 lakh event. Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, Md Islam of Patna, Pune’s Moinuddin Malak and Noida golfer Rahul Bajaj were one shot back in tied third.

Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan three-putted to drop a shot early on the third. However, he came back strongly with birdies on the fifth and sixth thanks to a brilliant bunker shot and an accurate approach shot. Rashid, who finished 10th at last year’s edition of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters, produced four consecutive birdies from the eighth through the 11th to end up with a clinical 67.  

Rashid said, “It’s great to be back here at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens. The playing conditions are ideal as the greens are playing soft and one can attack the flags. The wind wasn’t much of a factor today. It’s my first event of the 2015 PGTI season and I’m keen to get off to a good start in the year with a solid performance this week.

“I had a slow start with a bogey on the third but came back well with a flurry of birdies thereafter. I landed a lot of shots close to the pins to set up birdie putts. The best shot of the day would be the approach on the 10th that landed one foot short of the pin. The one-month break after the Indian Open has served me well as I put in long hours of practice and sharpened my iron-hitting.”

Sanjeev Kumar began the tournament with a bang as he chipped-in for birdie on the second and followed that up with another birdie on the fifth courtesy an outstanding bunker shot. Sanjeev dropped his only bogey of the day on the sixth. He picked up four birdies on the back-nine having landed it within six feet on all four occasions.

Sanjeev said, “I’ve been playing well since last year as I finished inside the top-60 in the 2014 Rolex Rankings. I also claimed third place on the Feeder Tour. I feel I can take my game a few notches higher this year. The chip-in on the second was a huge confidence-booster. My ball-striking was also very good today.”

Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, Md Islam of Patna, Pune’s Moinuddin Malak and Noida golfer Rahul Bajaj were tied third at four-under-68.

Among the prominent names in the field, SSP Chawrasia was tied 26th at one-under-71 while Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rahil Gangjee were tied 43rd at one-over-73.

The three local amateurs Varun Parikh (76), Anshul Patel (77) and Jay Pandya (78) were placed tied 74th, tied 81st and tied 89th respectively.

PGTI Press release

Anirban Lahiri cruises to six-stroke win, makes it four wins in four starts on PGTI

Ahmedabad, February 1, 2014: Anirban Lahiri cruised to a six-stroke win at the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens on Saturday to make it four wins out of four starts on the PGTI. The Bangalore-based professional signed off with a three-under-69 in the final round to end up with a tournament total of 14-under-274 at the Rs. 50 lakh PGTI Super Series event. Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee claimed the runner-up position at eight-under-280 after submitting a card of five-under-67 in round four.

Anirban Lahiri (64-70-71-69), the overnight leader by four shots, faced stiff resistance from SSP Chowrasia early on who birdied the first two holes to reduce Lahiri’s lead to two shots. Anirban however, sank a 15-feet birdie putt on the third to regain a four-shot lead as Chowrasia dropped bogey. There was no looking back for Lahiri from there on. He maintained his four-shot lead till the 11th despite two bogeys and another birdie. The three-time winner on the Asian Tour then drove home the advantage by finding the green in two shots on the par-5 12th and 14th holes to earn birdies. He closed the tournament with another 15-feet birdie conversion on the 18th to take home the winner’s cheque worth Rs. 8,08,250.

“I played a solid round today. Hit it well and missed just two greens. I also played the par-5s much better as I found the green in two shots on three of the four par-5s. The birdie on the third was very crucial as it helped me wrest the momentum from SSP who had started well. I was four ahead after 11 holes and knew just had to play level-par over the last seven holes to ensure victory. My putting wasn’t up to the mark today. I made 33 putts in a round of three-under. That just goes to show how well I struck it,” said Lahiri, winner of the season-opener.

He added, “I feel I won it on the first day itself with a course record score of 64. It’s great to win four on the trot on the PGTI. It was fun playing with SSP today after a gap of six years. He complimented me for the way I’ve been playing.”

    

Anirban, the highest-ranked Indian in the world at No. 105, has now won the last four events he has played on the PGTI. Jyoti Randhawa and Gaganjeet Bhullar currently share the record of winning five events in five consecutive appearances on the PGTI.

Rahil Gangjee (71-69-73-67) posted the day’s joint best of 67. He was even-par for the day after 10 holes but then picked up pace with three birdies and an eagle over the next four holes. His tee shot stopped within a foot of the flag to set up a birdie on the 11th. He converted a 12-footer for eagle on the 12th and a 15-feet putt for birdie on the 14th.

“I made more putts today. I had a good run on the back-nine where the eagle made all the difference. I’ve played better on the back-nine through the week. It was easier to focus since I wasn’t playing in the leader group today and there was less pressure,” said Gangjee.

Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad secured third place at six-under-282 after his final round of 72 that included seven birdies besides three bogeys and two double-bogeys.

SSP Chowrasia’s last round of 74 placed him fourth at five-under-283. The Kolkata golfer made four birdies against six bogeys on Saturday.

Chandigarh’s Harendra Gupta fired the day’s joint best of 67 to claim tied 10thplace at two-over-290 along with reigning Rolex Rankings champion Rashid Khan of Delhi and Himmat Singh Rai of the DLF Golf & Country Club.

Feroz Singh Garewal of Chandigarh won the trophy for the best performance by an amateur. Garewal ended tied 23rd at 10-over-298.

Kunaal Bhatia of Gurgaon made a hole-in-one on the 11th during his round of 73. Bhatia secured tied 46th place at 20-over-308.

Fifteen-year-old Ahmedabad-based amateur Varun Parikh was placed 54th after finishing with a total of 22-over-310. He returned an 81 in round four.

Anirban Lahiri earned 900 points for his win in the first event of the PGTI Super Series. He now leads the points table of the seven-event Super Series. Rahil Gangjee is placed second with 600 points while Abhinav Lohan is in third with 400 points. The player who earns the maximum points at the end of the seven-event series will earn a bonus of Rs. 30 lakh.

Photo caption: Anirban Lahiri receiving the trophy from (left to right) Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI, Mr. Pranav Shah, Joint Managing Director, Navratna, Mr. Dinesh Shah, Chairman, Navratna and Mr.Devang Shah, Joint Managing Director, Navratna

Chowrasia shoots day’s best to be second

Ahmedabad, January 31, 2014: Bangalore’s Anirban Lahiri enjoys a four-shot advantage going into the final round of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens, a PGTI Super Series event. Lahiri carded a sedate one-under-71 in tough scoring conditions on Friday to extend his overnight lead by two shots and take his total to 11-under-205. Kolkata’s SSP Chowrasia shot the day’s best score of 67 to occupy second place at seven-under-209 at the Rs. 50 lakh event.

Anirban Lahiri (64-70-71), the overnight leader by two shots, started day three by converting a tricky seven-feet birdie putt on the second. He picked up another shot on the fifth to go two-under for the day. The 26-year-old lost some momentum after missing the green and subsequently missing a five-footer for par on the eighth. The Asian Tour No. 3 came back well with an eight-feet birdie conversion on the 13th. Anirban was in trouble once again after he hit it out of bounds on the 14th but made a great recovery to salvage a bogey there. Lahiri is now looking at his fourth win in four starts on the PGTI. He has won the last three PGTI tournaments he has appeared in.

Anirban said, “The conditions were the toughest today compared to the last two days. It was windy and the tees were back. I felt I didn’t have any momentum today. I just didn’t have a good stretch of holes unlike previous rounds. The two bogeys didn’t allow me to settle down. I could’ve done better on the par-5s as well. Nonetheless, I was glad to make a splendid recovery on the 14th after hitting it out of bounds. SSP and Shankar were outstanding today as they shot really good scores in the difficult conditions.”

  

SSP Chowrasia (68-74-67), climbed from overnight tied ninth to second place after shooting the day’s best score of five-under-67. SSP, a two-time winner on the European Tour, had a slow start to the day as he bogeyed the second and fourth. Chowrasia came roaring back with birdies on the fifth and sixth to get back to even-par for the day. He was on fire on the back-nine making four straight birdies from the 12th through the 15th. The 15-feet birdie putt on the 17thhelped him close the day on a high.

Chowrasia said, “I had my best round of the tournament today. I set up many birdie opportunities for myself. I sank two long birdie putts and just got on a roll from the 12th onwards. I also landed it within a couple of feet of the pin on two occasions. I know I’ll be up against some really tough competition in the final round as Anirban is playing extremely well at the moment. However, I feel I can put up a good fight in the last round.”

Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan came up with a 74 in round three after his two scores of 68 to end the day in third place at six-under-210. Panchkula-based professional Angad Cheema was a further shot back in fourth place.

Kolkata golfer Shankar Das posted a brilliant 68 to be placed joint fifth along with Chandigarh’s Sujjan Singh at four-under-212. Shankar’s round featured a magical moment as he holed his second shot from 170 yards to make eagle on the par-4 15th.

Rahil Gangjee of Kolkata was in seventh place at three-under-213.

Reigning Rolex Rankings champion Rashid Khan of Delhi lies in 10th place at even-par-216 while Himmat Singh Rai is placed 12th at two-over-218.

Fifteen-year-old amateur Varun Parikh (75-75-79) of Ahmedabad was in tied 46th place after his third round of 79 that took his total score to 13-over-229.

Lahiri maintains lead after a fighting 70 in round two

  Anirban Lahiri 

 Varun Parikh

Ahmedabad, January 30, 2014: Anirban Lahiri of Bangalore continued in the lead in round two of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens. Lahiri posted a fighting two-under-70 on Thursday to stay two-strokes ahead of the rest of the field at 10-under-134. Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan was placed second at eight-under-136 after he returned a brilliant 68 on day two.

The cut fell at seven-over-151. Fifty-five professionals and three amateurs made the cut.

Anirban Lahiri (64-70), the overnight leader by two shots, had a mixed first-nine as he picked up four birdies but also dropped a triple-bogey on the 14th. Anirban, a 10th tee starter on Thursday, was off to a flying start with birdies on the 12th and 13th but then found the water twice and three-putted to drop a triple-bogey on the 14th. He came back well with two long birdie putts on the 15th and 16th.  

Lahiri started his second-nine with a bogey on the first but recovered once again courtesy an eagle on the par-5 fifth where his second shot landed three feet from the flag. Anirban made bogey-birdie on the seventh and eighth to end up with a brave 70 in round two.

Anirban said, “I had some flashes of brilliance today but also made some unnecessary errors. I tried a bit too much with my drive into the wind on the 14thand that led to a terrible swing which resulted in the ball landing in the water. However, I was happy with my good temperament that helped me come back well with birdies on the next two holes. I couldn’t recover from a bad lie on the first hole and that led to a bogey which disturbed my momentum. But the eagle on the fifth came at the right time for me and got me back in the right frame of mind. I was quite pleased with my ability to bounce back today. That was one positive aspect that I’ll take forward from round two.”

   

Abhinav Lohan (68-68), who was overnight joint sixth, didn’t have a great start to the day as he bogeyed the first hole where he failed to get out of the bunker in the first attempt. The 25-year-old rallied with birdies on the seventh and eighth but he was back to one-under for the day after dropping shots on the ninth and 10th.

Abhinav, a part of the Indian quartet that won the team silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, had a much better back-nine. He converted putts from 10 to 15 feet for birdies on the 12th and 14th. Lohan signed off in style with birdies on the last three holes that featured a chip-in on the 16th and a 20-feet putt on the 17th.

“The wind was in play today and the pins were tougher as compared to yesterday, so scoring was not that easy. I started off poorly and really got going on the back-nine. I enjoyed a good stretch over the last seven holes as I converted most of the putts and managed five birdies. Closing with birdies on the last three holes was a big morale-booster,” said Lohan, who had finished 13th on the 2013 Rolex Rankings.

He added, “I’m playing at Kalhaar Blues & Greens for the first time and it’s been a wonderful experience as the design of the course matches world standards. I find the par-3 16th hole quite challenging due to its layout.”

Chandigarh’s Sujjan Singh fired the day’s best score of 67 that placed him in tied third at four-under-140 along with Rahil Gangjee of Kolkata, Kanishk Madan of Delhi, Panchkula’s Angad Cheema and Mhow golfer Om Prakash Chouhan.

Divyanshu Bajaj of Kolkata made a hole-in-one on the 16th where his six-iron tee shot pitched a yard short of the hole and landed in the cup after the second bounce. Bajaj fired a three-under-69 on Thursday to take his total score to two-over-146. He is now placed tied 21st.

Fifteen-year-old Varun Parikh of Ahmedabad makes the cut

Fifteen-year-old amateur Varun Parikh of Ahmedabad kept the local interest alive as he was one of the three amateurs to make the cut. Varun shot scores of 75 and 75 in the first two rounds to total six-over-150 and be placed tied 48th at the halfway stage. Parikh made two birdies and five bogeys in his second round.

Varun said, “It feels great to make the cut in my very first appearance in a professional event and that too in the presence of such big names in the field. I sank a 30-footer for birdie on the 17th today and holed a 10-feet putt for my other birdie on the ninth. I’ve been striking it well over the last two days and that has helped me earn my place in the final two rounds.”

Lahiri dazzles with an eight-under-64, sets course record

Anirban Lahiri

Ahmedabad, January 29, 2014: Anirban Lahiri burnt the course with a dazzling eight-under-64 to take the round one lead at the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens, a PGTI Super Series event. The Bangalorean’s round one exploits helped him set the course record at the Kalhaar Blues and Greens Golf Club which is staging its first ever professional event. Angad Cheema of Panchkula posted a creditable six-under-66 to lie second on day one of the PGTI’s season-opener for 2014.

Anirban Lahiri was on a roll from the fifth hole onwards where he sank his first birdie from 10 feet. The 26-year-old went on a birdie-spree picking up strokes on six consecutive holes from the seventh to the 12th. He landed it within five feet on the eighth and 10th and knocked down 15-footers on the ninth and 11th. Anirban, who recently finished third on the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit, moved to nine-under for the day after birdies on the 14th and 15th. Lahiri closed with a bogey on the 18th after his tee shot landed in the bunker and rolled into the water.

“It was an unbelievable round. I didn’t expect to fire such a low number. I played the course for the first time during my practice round yesterday and was a little confused about some holes. Nonetheless, my phenomenal hitting and outstanding approach shots helped me end the day at eight-under. I felt I was a little lucky as there was hardly any wind today. It could’ve been a different story had the wind been in play. I was nine-under over a stretch of 11 holes from the fifth to the 15th. This is my personal best,” said Lahiri, the highest ranked Indian currently at World No. 105.

He added, “This is one of the best courses I have ever played at. The lay-out is comparable to world standards and the stretch from the 13th to the 16th can be very challenging if the wind is up. I’ve taken a lot of confidence from my performances last year as I not only recorded my best season on the Asian Tour but also won the last three tournaments that I played on the PGTI.”   

   

Angad Cheema and Anirban Lahiri’s mutual admiration     

Angad Cheema, playing in the same group as Anirban Lahiri, produced seven birdies and a lone bogey to fire a six-under-66 that placed him second. Cheema, who made three birdie putts from a range of 20 to 30 feet, seemed to be inspired by his playing partner Anirban Lahiri’s immaculate 64. Cheema said, “I learnt a lot playing with Anirban who is also a good friend. The quality of golf shots I witnessed from Anirban today helped lift my confidence as well. We were very relaxed and pulling each other’s leg while on the course.”

Lahiri, on the other hand, was all praise for Cheema’s putting. He said, “Angad came up with some unbelievable putts. If I was putting like him, I would be playing on the European Tour.”

Kanishk Madan gets over the disappointment of 2013

Kanish Madan fired a five-under-67 to be placed tied third after round one on Wednesday. Madan thus got over his disappointment from the end of last season. The Delhi golfer had bogeyed the last hole in the penultimate event of the season to miss out on a top-60 finish in the Rolex Rankings. This had resulted in Kanishk missing out his exemption from the Qualifying School and also prevented him from earning a spot at the PGTI’s year-end championship. Madan’s tied 26th finish at the Qualifying School earned him his card for the 2014 season. Kanishk made seven birdies against two bogeys in round one at Ahmedabad.

Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow carded a superb five-under-67 to be placed tied third. Chouhan was eight-under from the third through the 12th thanks to eight birdies. This included a run of six straight birdies from the third to the eighth. Chouhan finally ended the day at five-under after stumbling with three bogeys over the last six holes.

Arjun Singh of Delhi joined Kanishk Madan and Om Prakash Chouhan in tied fourth.

Kolkata’s SSP Chowrasia, Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad and Delhi’s Pawan Kumar fired four-under-68 to occupy joint sixth place.