Anura Rohana springs a surprise with a scorching 65, wins first title in over two years; Patna's Aman finishes T19

Pune, April 23, 2017: Sri Lankan Anura Rohana sprung a surprise on the final day of the Pune Open 2017 by setting the Poona Club Golf Course on fire with a scorching six-under-65. The fabulous effort by the seasoned campaigner fetched him his first title in two and a half years as he closed the tournament with a total of 10-under-274.

  

The second place was shared between Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi (66) and Panchkula’s Angad Cheema (69) at eight-under-276 at the Rs. 30 lakh event.

Anura Rohana (71-68-70-65), lying tied seventh and three off the lead after the penultimate round, had a vision at the start of the final round that he would shoot a 65. As it turned out, his vision came true earning him his fourth title on the PGTI.

The 43-year-old Colombo resident’s day didn’t begin as per plan as he dropped a shot on the opening hole. What followed was a brilliant display of Anura’s all-round skills as he accumulated four birdies on the front-nine including two from 10 to 15 feet.

Rohana, who hails from the Royal Colombo Golf Club, started turning the tables on the others with a brilliant tap-in birdie on the 11th where he made an astounding recovery with his approach after a poor tee shot. Anura, the runner-up last week in Kochi, then chipped-in from 60 yards for eagle on the 15th to take the sole lead.

A bogey on the 16th didn’t deter Rohana as he notched a final birdie on the 18th to come home the winner by two strokes. Anura thus bagged the winning cheque worth Rs. 4,50,000 and moved up from eighth to fourth in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Rohana said, “I’m delighted to win after a long gap of two and a half years as my last win came in October 2014. I had been playing well of late with top-5 finishes in my last two events on the PGTI. I had my chance in Kochi last week but was unfortunate to finish second. The new putter that I started using from the Indian Open onwards last month has had a huge impact on my game. My putting is much better than last season. I’m also playing with less pressure now as I finally have a sponsor.

“This morning, I somehow thought of the number 65 as the combination for locking my suitcase. At that moment, I told myself that this might just be the number I end up shooting today. That’s exactly what happened.

“I started believing I could win, when after a duff tee shot on the 11th, I landed my approach within three feet and made birdie there. That was the turning point for me. Then of course the eagle on the 15th set up the finish for me.

“Incidentally, I qualified for the Indian tour for the first time in 2002 after playing the Qualifying School at the Poona Club Golf Course. So it’s special to win an event here.”

Khalin Joshi (68-70-72-66) produced an impressive 66, punctuated by six birdies and a bogey, on the final day, to rise from overnight tied 12th to joint second. His tied second finish ended up lifting him from third to second position in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Angad Cheema (69-68-70-69) hung on to his overnight joint second place as a result of his fourth round of 69. Cheema, playing in the leader group, was the only challenger to Rohana in the closing stages as he trailed him by just one shot at one point. However, playing at two-under through 12 holes, he could only manage pars on the last six holes that put paid to his chances.

Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane (65) shot the day’s joint best score along with champion Anura to end up in tied fourth at seven-under-277 along with rookies Viraj Madappa (68) of Kolkata and Damian Naicker (70) of South Africa.

Madappa now leads the Emerging Player of the Year race with earnings of Rs. 1,92,085.

Delhi’s Shamim Khan continued to lead the Order of Merit after posting a tied eighth finish with a total of four-under-280. As the season breaks for the summer after seven events, Shamim leads the money list with earnings of Rs. 16,01,850. Khalin Joshi is second with earnings Rs. 12,79,331.

Round three leader Mukesh Kumar of Mhow had a forgettable final round of 75 in Pune that saw him drop to tied 11th at three-under-281 at the end of the week.

Last year’s champion Harendra Gupta (71) of Chandigarh also took a share of 11thplace.

Pune-based professionals Saurabh Bhaduri and Sameer M Shaikh finished tied 42nd at eight-over-292.

Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane finished tied 52nd at 12-over-296.

Patna's Aman Raj tied 19th along with three others with an aggregate score of 1 over 285. His four day cards were 72, 66, 72, 75. On the last day Aman carded 4 over 75.

Prize Presentation picture caption:

Anura Rohana receives the winning cheque and trophy from Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI (left) and Mr. Navin Thakur, AVP - Kolte Patil Developers (right)

Mukesh Kumar storms into the lead; Bihar's Aman at T12

Mukesh Kumar

Pune, April 22, 2017: Indian golfing legend Mukesh Kumar will be staring at his second title in two weeks on the PGTI when he tees it up in the final round of the Pune Open 2017 at the Poona Club Golf Course on Sunday.

The man from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, who won PGTI’s event in Kochi last week, stormed into the third round lead in Pune thanks to a dazzling six-under-65, the tournament’s best score so far, that moved his total to seven-under-206.  

The chasing pack consisted of South African Damian Naicker and Panchkula’s Angad Cheema, who were one shot adrift of the lead in tied second at six-under-207. While rookie Naicker posted a 67 on Saturday, Cheema came up with a round of 70.

Mukesh Kumar (72-69-65) has set himself up nicely for a come-from-behind win for the second week running. The man, who broke his own record by becoming the oldest winner on the PGTI at age 51 years and eight months in Kochi last week, produced a breathtaking 65 in Pune on Saturday to move up 13 places from overnight tied 14th.

Mukesh, trailing the leaders by four shots at the start of the day, stumbled with an early bogey on the third before turning it around with four successive birdies from the sixth to the ninth as he kept landing his approach shots within five feet of the pin.

The winner of one Asian Tour title and more than 100 domestic titles raced to the lead with three more birdies on the back-nine.

“It was one of those days when I got up feeling that I would shoot a seven-under today. I shared the thought with my caddie and he further encouraged me. I then made an unbelievable par-save from a tough spot on the first and that really got me going. The string of birdies thereafter added to my confidence.

“Importantly, it was my brother Dinesh Raghuvanshi’s advice that did wonders for me. He is from Pune and thus familiar with this course. He told me to be a little conservative off the tee and not think about hitting it long and then attack the pins with my second shot. I followed his advice and reaped the rewards,” said a confident Mukesh, who won the last PGTI event staged at the Poona Club Golf Course in November 2012.

He added, “It’s a tight course and a three to four under in round four would give me a really good shot at the title. On Sunday, I will look to play safe on the first four holes. If all goes well, I will certainly play an aggressive game thereafter. It will be a contest against the course and not any player in particular.”

Damian Naicker (69-71-67) took a huge leap from overnight tied 10th to tied second as a result of his 67 in round three. His best round of the season featured two eagles besides four birdies and four bogeys. The pro from Johannesburg sank a 12-footer for eagle on the seventh and then drove the green on the par-4 10thbefore nailing a 20-footer for his second eagle of the day.

Naicker said, “I struck it really well today after the initial bogeys and that created numerous scoring opportunities for me. Playing my first season in India has been a learning experience so far. I got to learn a lot playing alongside the seasoned Mukesh Kumar today. It was a valued lesson on how to negotiate the tough conditions here at the Poona Club Golf Course.”

Angad Cheema (69-68-70), the overnight joint leader, also kept himself in the hunt with a steady 70 despite dropping one spot. Angad eagled the seventh from 20 feet to make the turn at one-under. However, he lost his way somewhat with a double-bogey on the 11th where he found the water and made a three-putt.

Cheema finally recovered ground with two more birdies including one on the closing 18th from 25 feet.

Cheema said, “The double-bogey on the 11th took away the momentum from me. I was not at my best today and struggled a little with the ball-striking as compared to round two. But I’m glad that I’m still very much in contention.”

Delhi’s Shamim Khan (71), the joint overnight leader, shared fourth position with Greater Noida’s Sudhir Sharma (69) and Allahabad’s Samarth Dwivedi (68) at five-under-208.

Last year’s champion Harendra Gupta (68) of Chandigarh was in tied 12th place at three-under-210.

Pune’s Saurabh Bhaduri was in tied 25th at one-over-214 while the other Pune-based professional Sameer M Shaikh occupied tied 43rd place at five-over-218.

Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane was also placed tied 43rd.

Patna's Aman Raj carded one over 72 to finish the day at tied 12 along with two others. Aman's score in the last three days was 3 under 210 (72, 66, 72).

Shamim Khan, Angad Cheema are halfway leaders; Patna's Aman Raj jumps to joint third spot at Pune Open

Angad Cheema

Pune, April 21, 2017: PGTI Order of Merit leader Shamim Khan of Delhi and Panchkula’s Angad Cheema emerged halfway leaders at the Pune Open 2017 after both shot second round scores of three-under-68 at the Poona Club Golf Courseon Friday. The duo led the field by one stroke at five-under-137.

The cut was set at two-over-73 with 54 professionals making it to the money rounds.

Angad Cheema (69-68) gained four places from his overnight tied fifth place as a result of his 68 in round two. Angad, a former winner on the PGTI, didn’t have the best of starts as he dropped two strokes on the first three holes. The 27-year-old rallied with five birdies thereafter.

After a couple of good chip-putt birdies on the seventh and ninth, Cheema, drove the green on the par-4 10th to set up his third birdie of the day. Two birdie conversions from seven to 10 feet on the 13th and 14th elevated Angad to joint first. The Panchkula lad, however, missed out on taking the sole lead when he three-putted for par on the closing 18th.

  

“I’ve played really well on the first two days but on both days there’s been one stretch that has troubled me and that’s the first three holes. I bogeyed those three holes yesterday and today again I bogeyed the second and third. I really need to improve on that stretch and play it smarter there,” said the lanky Cheema.

He added, “I’ve been working on figuring out a few things with my coach. I’ve worked on my swing and my consistency. I’ve shot one good score and then not been able to repeat that effort in the following rounds in recent events. I’m now more confident when swinging a club.

“I’ve hit 14 to 15 greens in regulation on each of the first two days. I would like to continue doing the same in the next two rounds. However, I need to watch out on the first three holes.”

Shamim Khan (69-68), like Cheema, also followed up his first round 69 with a 68 on day two to move up four places to joint first. Shamim, who won the last PGTI event staged at the Poona Club Golf Course in 2012, made steady progress through the day.

He picked up two birdies on his back-nine, the second of which was from 20 feet, before adding two more on the first and seventh. The approach on the first was the highlight of his round as he landed it within a foot from a distance of 175 yards. Khan’s only blemish was the three-putt for bogey on the eighth.

Shamim, who won in Kolkata last month, said, “I’ve won here before so that will be a big psychological advantage for me going into the last two rounds. I struggled a bit yesterday since chipping was tougher in the afternoon with the greens being faster. But it was a better round today.

“I quite enjoy playing at this course as the layout and the shape of the holes suit my game. I played some terrific approach shots today that set up many scoring opportunities. It’s been a very consistent season for me so far and I would like to keep it going,” added Shamim, who has a win and four other top-5s to his credit from the six starts this season.

Patna’s Aman Raj shot the day’s joint best score of five-under-66 to share third place with Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi (70) at four-under-138.

Viraj Madappa of Kolkata, one shot behind in tied fifth, was the other player who fired a 66 on Friday. He shared fifth place with round one leader Sudhir Sharma (72) of Greater Noida and three others at three-under-139.

The Chandigarh duo of defending champion Harendra Gupta (74) and KPS Sekhon (74) slipped from overnight tied second to tied 18th at even-par-142. Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane was also in tied 18th place.

The two Pune-based professionals who made the cut, were Saurabh Bhaduri, who was placed tied 25th at one-over-143, and Sameer M Shaikh, who was a further shot back in tied 31st. Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane occupied tied 39th place at three-over-145.

Sudhir Sharma takes pole position on day one of Pune Open; Patna's Aman Raj at T33

Sudhir Sharma

Pune, April 20, 2017: The opening round of the Pune Open 2017 was characterized by windy conditions and the resultant high scores. While Sudhir Sharma of Greater Noida took pole position courtesy a resolute four-under-67, the trio consisting of defending champion Harendra Gupta of Chandigarh, Bengalurean Khalin Joshi and KPS Sekhon, another Chandigarh golfer, were in tied second at three-under-68.

Sudhir Sharma, who was also the joint first round leader at last week’s PGTI event in Kochi, put in a great effort to negotiate the tough conditions at the Poona Club Golf Course on Thursday. Sudhir, a two-time winner on the PGTI Feeder Tour, began the week with a splendid up and down for a par-save on the first.

The 29-year-old, working on returning to his old swing after a year’s gap, struck it well on the front-nine to set up some short birdie putts, including four from within five feet. After making the turn at four-under, he had a quieter back-nine which featured a birdie and a bogey each. His longest putt of the day was the 22-feet birdie conversion on the 15^th.

Sharma said, “It’s the kind of start I was looking for. I started well last week as well but slipped towards the end of the tournament after some poor hitting. My driving was good today and I hit it pretty close on a number of occasions thus negating the tough scoring conditions.

“However, it was a little disappointing to miss some birdie opportunities towards the close of the round. I missed out from 10 feet and less on the last three holes. It’s all about confidence now. Playing one shot at a time and focusing hard will be the key now,” added Sudhir, who slipped from joint first in round one to tied 23^rd in round four at last week’s event in Kochi.

Title holder Harendra Gupta made a promising start with a three-under-68 to take a share of second place. Gupta pulled off a magical recovery for birdie on the opening hole where he had a blind second shot from the adjoining fairway. He managed to land that 17 feet from the pin thanks to a low hook and converted the putt.

Three more birdies and a bogey followed for Harendra who is playing the 2017 season with a new set of irons.

Gupta said, “I played the first five holes really well but then there was a flurry of missed opportunities. So it was a kind of mixed day for me. The superb recovery on the first hole was crucial. Had that second shot gone wrong, I could’ve been in deep trouble and may have ended up with an over-par score. It’s now about building on the decent start.”

KPS Sekhon made an astonishing recovery despite an early triple bogey on the 11^th, his second hole of the day, where he had found the hazard, to post a 68. He was at two-over through 13 holes when he came up with a dream run of five straight birdies to end up with an impressive three-under.

“My putter was on fire from the fifth hole onwards as I made two consecutive 10-feet conversions. I just rode on the momentum after those putts fell in.

“I had not been putting well before this event since I was putting too much pressure on myself on the greens by thinking about the results. But today I focused on just stroking it well and didn’t really think about the results. I was more relaxed and process-oriented today rather than being result-oriented. That helped my performance,” said the 41-year-old Sekhon.

Khalin Joshi shot four birdies and a bogey to also share the second spot along with Gupta and Sekhon at three-under-68.

PGTI Order of Merit leader Shamim Khan of Delhi was bunched together with seven other golfers in tied fifth at two-under-69.

Maharashtra-based golfers, Gurki Shergill of Pune and Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane were both in tied 22^nd at even-par-71.

Patna's Aman Raj was placed tied 33rd along with 10 others with a score of at par.

PGTI release

Pune Open golf returns for second edition

Pune, April 18, 2017: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, will be staging the second edition of the Pune Open at the prestigious Poona Club Golf Course from April 20 – 23, 2017. The Pune Open, the seventh event of the PGTI’s 2017 season, carries a prize purse of Rs. 30 lakh. The Pro-Am event is scheduled for April 19.

  

The Associate Partners for the event are 24K by Kolte Patil, LIC, Pirelli, Bank of Maharashtra and Websym. Hotel Crowne Plaza Pune City Centre is the Official Hotel Partner.

  

The tournament will see some of India’s leading professionals in action such as defending champion Harendra Gupta, Shankar Das, Mukesh Kumar, Honey Baisoya, Udayan Mane, Shamim Khan, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Khalin Joshi, to name a few.

  

The foreign challenge will be led by the Sri Lankan trio of Anura Rohana, N Thangaraja and K Prabagaran, Australia’s Kunal Bhasin and South African Damian Naicker.

  

The host city of Pune will be represented by Gurki Shergill (winner of 8th TATA Open 2009), Pravin Pathare, Sameer M Shaikh, Rajiv Datar and Sagar Raghuvanshi.

 This is a 72-hole stroke-play tournament featuring a field of 125 professionals. The cut will be applied after the first 36 holes. The top 50 players and ties will make the halfway cut and continue to play for another 36 holes.

  

Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “The city of Pune has produced some promising golfing talent over the years. The second edition of the Pune Open will help generate greater interest for professional golf in the city and act as a catalyst for players from the region to realize their full potential. We thank the Poona Club Golf Course for partnering with us in staging the Pune Open and look forward to a successful tournament.”

Mr. Navin Thakur, AVP-Marketing, Kolte-Patil Developers Ltd, said, “We are happy to associate with PGTI for Pune Open Golf Championship. We look at this tie up more than a sponsorship, for us this is a collaboration to boost golf as a sport. 24K, a luxury brand from Kolte-Patil that develops high end projects, has introduced the 9 hole golf putting green in 24K Opula which is under construction basis the learning from the customer interests from earlier delivered project. With the profile of people who choose 24K as a abode, we have to set high standards, these are reflected in our 24K properties through the quality of construction, our value added services and just about every aspect. With this collaboration we aim to boost golf as an emerging sport in India.”

The Poona Club Golf Course, the venue for the event, is spread over 100 acres and dotted with majestic banyan trees and other flowering trees. The course, which is one of the top championship venues in the country, is well appreciated for its water bodies and fast and true greens. The course has staged many National level professional, amateur and junior events over the years.

Photo caption: Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI (centre), speaks at the Pune Open 2017 press conference. The other gentlemen at the head table are (left to right) professional golfer Mr. Udayan Mane, Mr. Santosh Datta, Chairman, Tournament Committee, Poona Club Golf Course, Mr. Narotam Chowdhary, Golf Captain, Poona Club and professional golfer and defending champion Mr. Harendra Gupta.

PGTI release

Harendra Gupta steals the show at Pune Open with final-hole heroics; bags ninth title

Harendra Gupta receives the winning cheque from Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI (centre) and Mr. Rohan Seolekar, Director, Oxford Golf Resort, in Pune on April 8, 2016


Pune, April 8, 2016: Chandigarh’s Harendra Gupta literally ‘pulled a rabbit out of the hat’ on the final day of the inaugural Pune Open as he conjured two late birdies to dash to the finish line ahead of Sri Lankan Anura Rohana and Delhi’s Rashid Khan. Gupta, who shot a final round of five-under-67, ended the tournament with a total of 15-under-273 to bag his ninth professional title.

Rohana, who came up with the day’s best effort of eight-under-64, had to settle for tied second place at 14-under-274 along with Rashid, who also fired a 67 in round four of the Rs. 30 lakh event.

Harendra Gupta (72-65-69-67), lying overnight tied second, one off the lead, made a steady start to the day with three birdies on the first 11 holes, to keep himself within striking distance of the leaders Rashid Khan and Anura Rohana. His first three birdies were all on the par-5s, fourth, ninth and 11th where he made some good chip-putts.

Gupta was one stroke behind Anura and Rashid at 13-under when he stepped on the 16th tee. At that stage Rohana and two-time Asian Tour winner Khan seemed all set to battle it out in a playoff.

However, Gupta, who won his last event in Hyderabad in February 2015, had other plans. He first tied the leaders by converting a crucial 10-footer for birdie on the 16th, yet another par-5. The 31-year-old then overhauled his nearest rivals by putting his way to the title with an unbelievable 20-feet birdie conversion on the 18th. Harendra’s curling downhill putt stopped at the lip for a second before falling in.

The dramatic final-hole birdie sparked off wild victory celebrations by Gupta and his friends who joined him on the green to do the ‘champion’ dance which is currently the flavour of the season thanks to the West Indies’ win at the World T20.

Harendra took home the winner’s cheque worth Rs. 4,50,000 and as a result climbed from 21st place to sixth position in the Rolex Ranking.

An ecstatic Gupta said, “I had a feeling that I can make that long putt on the 18thsince I was due for one long conversion, having missed all day. When it did fall in, my emotions got the better of me. It’s great to win it like this, coming from behind right at the end. I’m happy to win after over a year.

“The tough 10-feet conversion on the 16th set it up for me. Since I have the best playoff record on the PGTI, having won three and lost none, I knew I had a good chance even if there was a playoff between Anura, Rashid and myself. I attacked the pin for birdie on the 17th as well but just missed out.

“I had set a target of five to six under for the day and was looking to play my own game and not follow the leaderboard.  My approach shots were excellent today. I would like to thank my friend and fellow professional Md Sayum for helping me sort out issues with my swing last week. His advice played a major role in my win this week.

“Last evening, I had decided along with my friends Vinod Kumar and Maniram Sharma, that if I win, we would all do the ‘champion’ dance together just like the West Indian cricket team did after their World T20 win last week.

“I would now look to contend in the race for the Rolex Player of the Year. Qualifying for the Asian Tour next year is also another major goal,” added Gupta, who took home a bicycle from Starkenn as his prize, in addition to the winner’s cheque.

Anura Rohana’s 64 featured an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey. It would’ve been a totally different story had Rohana’s chip for eagle not lipped out on the 16th. He also missed a birdie on that hole from a mere three feet.

“It was a great putting day for me as I sank as many as five birdie putts from a range of seven to 10 feet. However, the birdie miss from short range on the 16thproved costly. Nonetheless, I’m pleased with the final round comeback.  The runner-up finish here strengthens my position in the rankings as I move up from sixth to fourth,” said Rohana, who had started round four in tied ninth place.

Rashid Khan, who like Harendra, shot a bogey-free 67 on Friday, shared second place with Anura.

Round three leader Shamim Khan of Delhi slipped to fourth place at 11-under-277 after a final round of 72.

Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu (10-under-278) was fifth, rookie Veer Ahlawat (nine-under-279) of Delhi was sixth while round two leader Mandeo Singh Pathania (eight-under-280) of Greater Noida finished seventh.

Kapurthala’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane were joint 10th at six-under-282.

Sagar Raghuvanshi was the highest-placed among the Pune professionals. He secured tied 39th at six-over-294.

PGTI Press release

Shamim Khan fires course record 63 to snatch round three lead

Shamim Khan 

Pune, April 7, 2016: Delhi's Shamim Khan fired a course record nine-under-63 at the Oxford Golf Resort to snatch the round three lead at the inaugural Pune Open on Thursday. Khan's immaculate third round effort pushed his tournament total up to 11-under-205 that placed him one shot ahead at the Rs. 30 lakh event.

Chandigarh's Harendra Gupta and Mandeo Singh Pathania of Greater Noida were tied second at 10-under-206 as they recorded third round scores of 69 and 71 respectively.

Shamim Khan (70-72-63), who was overnight tied 13th, lying seven behind the lead, climbed atop the leaderboard in round three courtesy a phenomenal bogey-free round of 63 which broke the previous course record of eight-under-64 of Bengaluru’s Abhishek Jha. Jha had posted the previous record score during the PGTI Players Championship in 2011.

Shamim went on a birdie-blitz early in his round, picking up strokes on the second, third, fourth, sixth and ninth. On the front-nine, the 2012 Rolex Ranking champion, drained three birdie putts from nine to 12 feet and also chipped it to within inches of the cup for birdies on two occasions.

Khan, a winner of 11 titles, kept hitting it close on the back-nine and thus pocketed four more birdies. One of the highlights of his day was the 20-feet birdie conversion on the 14th. The 37-year-old, one of the most consistent performers on the PGTI, is now well-placed to win his first title in over a year.

“I just kept setting up birdie opportunities for myself through the day thanks to some accurate hitting. My chipping was top-class and my putting also clicked for the first time this week. Importantly, I kept the errors out.

“I had dropped shots towards the end of the round on both day one and day two, but I didn’t repeat that today. My best birdie of the day came on the 14th where I sank a tough sideways putt from 20-feet. That conversion gave me the confidence to finish the round well as I added another birdie on the closing 18th,” said Shamim.

He added, “At this course, it takes a lot to keep your focus going, as walking on the undulating fairways can be quite draining. That’s why it’ll be imperative to concentrate harder in the final round. I’ll have to judge the lines and the speed on the greens well in order to stay ahead on the last day. I’ve already had four top-10s from five starts this year and this is a great opportunity for me to finally win a title at Oxford, a course where I’ve come close to winning earlier.”

Harendra Gupta (72-65-69), who was overnight sole second, ended round three in tied second place to keep himself in contention. Gupta was in trouble early on as he found bunkers on every hole till the sixth. On that stretch, he suffered two bogeys but also managed to salvage a birdie and three pars as a result of some brilliant bunker shots.

Harendra picked up pace from the ninth by adding four more birdies to his card. He produced his best birdie of the day on the 16th where he once again came up with a spectacular bunker shot.

Gupta said, “I’ve kept myself in the reckoning thanks to my good recoveries from the bunkers today. I could’ve been in deep trouble had I not got those early birdies from tough positions. I had a far better back-nine as I was more relaxed after having negotiated the front-nine without much damage.

“I was drawing most of my tee shots today. I’ll have to rectify that if I want to be in contention in the last round,” added Harendra.

Mandeo Singh Pathania (69-66-71), the round two leader, slipped to joint second place after a score of 71 that featured two birdies and a bogey. Pathania had an ordinary day with the putter having totalled 36 putts.

“I’m right there in the mix but I need a few more putts to fall. I felt I was trying a bit too hard on the greens today and that resulted in a number of missed putts. Hopefully, a hot putter in round four will put me back on track,” said Pathania.       

Delhi’s Rashid Khan struck a 65 on Thursday to climb from tied 13th to fourth at nine-under-207.

Gaganjeet Bhullar was placed tied ninth at six-under-210 after his third round of 71.

Pravin Pathare was the highest-placed among the professionals from Pune. He closed round three in tied 27th at even-par-216.

PGTI Press release

Mandeo Singh Pathania powers ahead with a 66, Bihar's Aman Raj makes the cut

Pune, April 6, 2016: Mandeo Singh Pathania of Greater Noida powered two shots ahead in round two of the inaugural Pune Open after he carded a sublime six-under-66. Pathania’s second round effort took his total to nine-under-135. Chandigarh’s Harendra Gupta shot the day’s best score of seven-under-65 that propelled him to second place at seven-under-137 at the Rs. 30 lakh event.

Mandeo Singh Pathania (69-66), lying overnight tied fifth, posted a bogey-free 66 to take pole position at the halfway stage. The 33-year-old from the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort picked up three strokes from a range of six to 10 feet and also capitalized on three of the four par-5s with birdies.

Mandeo, a former winner on the PGTI, who spent most of last year playing professional golf in Canada, could’ve drained an eagle as well had he not missed a five-footer on the fourth. Pathania, known for his long-hitting is using the opportunity of playing at the Pune Open to tune his game before he heads back to Canada to play pro golf in the summer.

Mandeo said, “It was a perfect day of golf for me. I didn’t spray the ball and didn’t commit any errors. I was consistent off the tee and holed a lot of putts. Another round of six-under tomorrow would be ideal as it would place me in the lead going into the final day.

“The weather-break today didn’t really bother me as I’ve got used to such things having played in Canada last year. I’m now looking forward to going back and playing on the Canadian Tour in the summer. However, my target this year is to make it to the Web.com Tour with a good performance at the qualifiers later this year.

“This round has really lifted my confidence and will help me sharpen my game further in what is an extremely important season for me.”

Harendra Gupta (72-65), who began the day in tied 30th seven off the lead, climbed into contention on Wednesday thanks to his improved ball-striking. The 31-year-old made good use of the advice he received on his swing from Bangladeshi professional Md Sayum last week in Dhaka.

Harendra, a winner of eight professional titles, got into his rhythm with the eagle on the par-5 ninth where he found the green in two and converted a 15-footer. Gupta thereafter accumulated five birdies on the back-nine by landing it within six feet on most occasions.

Gupta, who has a top-5 finish and two other top-20s to his credit so far this season, said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so good about my hitting and iron-play. I wasn’t in good hitting form till recently since there was something troubling me about my swing. But I got some sound advice from my friend and fellow professional Md Sayum during the event in Dhaka last week that helped me sort out the issue.

“Sayum pointed out that I needed to make a slight change in my position during impact with the ball. I made the necessary change and have since been striking it well. I’m also feeling mentally stronger this week having addressed the problem with my swing.

“Once I was two-under at the turn today, I knew a score of five to six-under would put in a good position. I just kept hitting it close to set up birdies on the back-nine.”

Pratap Atwal, the round one leader, followed up his opening round 65 with a 73 in round two, to slip to tied third at six-under-138. Pratap sank an eagle and a birdie but also dropped two bogeys and a double-bogey on Wednesday.

Ranjit Singh shot a second straight 69 courtesy his sharp chipping and putting to join Atwal in tied third. Ranjit, who made four birdies and a bogey on day two, chipped-in for birdie on the second and almost holed it from the bunker for eagle on the fourth.

Gaganjeet Bhullar’s second round 71 placed him fifth at five-under-139. Chiragh Kumar returned a 74 in round two to be placed tied 11th at three-under-141. Rashid Khan’s 71 meant he was a further shot back in tied 13th.

Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane, Delhi’s Himmat Singh Rai were in tied 21st at one-under-143. Rookies Aman Raj of Patna and Noida-based Samarth Dwivedi, both playing their first professional event, also took a share of 21st place.

Pravin Pathare and Sagar Raghuvanshi were the highest-placed among the Pune golfers. Pathare and Raghuvanshi closed round two in tied 27th place with totals of even-par-144.

     

The day witnessed a 40-minute weather suspension due to lightning between 1520 hrs and 1600 hrs local time. The cut fell at two-over-146. Fifty professionals made the cut.  

PGTI release

Pratap Atwal takes first round lead with sizzling 65

Pratap Atwal

Pune, April 5, 2016: Delhi’s Pratap Atwal took the first round lead at the inaugural Pune Open with a sizzling error-free seven-under-65 at the Oxford Golf Resort. Chiragh Kumar of Delhi and Kapurthala’s Ashbeer Saini were in joint second with scores of five-under-67.

The 24-year-old Pratap Atwal, playing his second season as a professional, had a fruitful front-nine thanks to three birdies. He further accelerated on the back-nine adding four more birdies to his card. Pratap, who has two top-20s in his five starts this season, made birdies on all the four par-5s and also had two long birdie conversions on the fifth and 15th. Atwal established his two stroke lead with a tap-in birdie on the par-3 17th.

“I placed my shots really well today even though I didn’t hole too many putts. I struck my long-irons well. I played decent last week in Bangladesh so that gave me a lot of confidence coming here. I capitalized on all the four par-5s with birdies,” said Atwal.

He added, “The game plan was to hit fairways, not get too aggressive and play to my strength which is hitting long. I took it one step at a time and it all fell in place for me. After the turn, I was aware that I was well-placed, so I kept it simple by looking for the safe side of the fairways.

“A good first round always sets you up well for the week, so I’m quite pleased with the start.”

Chiragh Kumar, a winner on the Asian Tour last year, too had a bogey-free opening round. Chiragh left himself two short conversions for birdie and also sank a 25-feet birdie putt on the fifth.

Chiragh said, “I was pretty solid off the tee and hit my irons well. Importantly, I didn’t make any mistakes today. I was a little disappointed that I made birdie on just one of the four par-5s since the par-5s provide good scoring opportunities here.

“My birdie on the 17th, where I landed my tee shot three feet from the pin, really got me going today. Another score of five-under would be great in round two but I’ll just focus on sticking to my game plan.

“I found my rhythm at the back end of 2015 with a win and a runner-up finish on the Asian Tour. So far 2016 has been up and down with just a couple of decent finishes. I feel I’m playing well at the moment but the results haven’t been there for me. It’s now a matter of trusting my game plan and putting together four good rounds,” added Chiragh.

Ashbeer Saini, on the road to recovery from a wrist injury, produced his best round of the season thanks to some brilliant putting to share the second spot with Chiragh. Saini drained three putts from a range of 15 to 30 feet including a 20-footer for eagle on the closing ninth.

Gaganjeet Bhullar, playing at the Oxford Golf Resort after five years, had a four-under-68 to show for his opening day effort. He occupied fourth place.

Aditya Bhandarkar was the highest-placed among the Pune-based professionals in the field. Bhandarkar fired a 69 to share fifth place with Sri Lankan Anura Rohana, R Murthy of Bengaluru, Greater Noida’s Mandeo Singh Pathania, Delhi’s Veer Ahlawat and the Chandigarh duo of Gurbaaz Mann and Ranjit Singh.

Pune golfer Pravin Pathare was a further shot back in tied 12th along with eight others.

PGTI release

India's No 1 amateur golfer Aman Raj makes professional debut today in Pune Open

Pune, April 4, 2016: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, will be staging the inaugural Pune Open at the picturesque Oxford Golf Resort from April 5 – 8, 2016. The Pune Open, the sixth event of the PGTI’s 2016 season, carries a prize purse of Rs. 30 lakh. The Pro-Am event is scheduled for April 9.

The tournament will see some of India’s leading professionals in action such as Asian Tour regulars Gaganjeet Bhullar, Rashid Khan, Chiragh Kumar and Himmat Singh Rai as well as other top names including Udayan Mane, Mukesh Kumar, Shamim Khan, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Ashok Kumar and Abhijit Singh Chadha, to name a few. The foreign challenge will be led by the Sri Lankan duo of N Thangaraja and Anura Rohana. Pune’s Gurki Shergill (winner of 8th TATA Open 2009) will be one of the prominent professionals from the host city taking part in the event.

Aman Raj of Patna, PGTI’s 2016 Qualifying School champion and India’s number one amateur in 2015, will be making his professional debut at the Pune Open along with another leading Indian amateur Samarth Dwivedi.

This is a 72-hole stroke-play tournament featuring a field of 120 players which would include 120 professionals and six amateurs. The cut will be applied after the first 36 holes. The top 50 players and ties will make the halfway cut and continue to play for another 36 holes.

Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI, said, “The city of Pune is fast emerging as an important golfing centre in the country. The Pune Open has been launched with the objective of tapping into the local talent and further promoting the sport in the city. We thank the Oxford Golf Resort for partnering with us in staging the Pune Open and look forward to a successful inaugural edition.”  

The venue for the tournament, the magnificent Oxford Golf Resort, is a 7020 yard, Par 72 championship course. The course is built on 136 acres of land that is Horseshoe shaped and surrounded on three sides by the Sahyadri Hills that give the course a stunning aura. The award-winning course is known for its well-maintained fairways and greens. The sparkling bunkers with gleaming white sand twist and turn their way across fairways and alongside greens. Breeze is a big factor and so are changes in elevation across the course. That coupled with the multitude of hazards and bunkers make it a challenging course for most golfers.

PGTI Press release