Rashid Khan wins thrilling playoff to lift maiden Asian Tour title

New Delhi, March 1, 2014: India’s Rashid Khan won a thrilling playoff against Md Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh at the SAIL-SBI Open 2014 presented by Incredible India Ministry of Tourism to lift his first Asian Tour title. The 23-year-old Rashid won at his home course, the Delhi Golf Club, after making birdie on the first playoff hole at the US$ 300,000 event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGTI. Rashid and Siddikur had earlier ended the regulation 72 holes with matching totals of 18-under-270. Rashid’s triumph earned him an exemption on the Asian Tour till the end of 2015.

Rashid Khan’s (61-69-69-71) wire-to-wire success was all the more sweet as it saw him put behind the ghosts of his playoff loss at the SAIL-SBI Open last year at the hands of compatriot Anirban Lahiri.

Khan became the 18th Indian professional to win an international tournament after tapping in his birdie on the first playoff hole (18th) as Siddikur could only make par.

  

“It feels awesome. It’s my home course and winning here is special. It’s amazing,” said a jubilant Khan, who carded a final round one-under-71 that featured three birdies and two bogeys.

 “I lost this event here last year. It was important and the way I started on the first day with a 61, it was an amazing week.  I don’t like playoffs. I played seven play-offs in the last 14 months and I won only three. It’s a lottery.”

  

The wiry Khan had trailed PGTI member Siddikur by one shot with two holes remaining in regulation play but produced a magical birdie on the 17th to draw level. Both players birdied the 18th hole under immense pressure to take the tournament into a playoff.

Khan’s aggressive approach paid off when he produced an imperious three wood approach shot from 269 yards out which landed on the apron before taking two more shots to defeat Siddikur, who missed his birdie chance from about 15 feet.

“On 17, I actually hit a bad shot, hit it right, but I don’t know how my ball pitched over the bunker and rolled to one and a half feet to the flag. I was shocked. It was really lucky,” said Khan.

 “I had to be aggressive in the playoff. I had to go for it. I took out the driver and hit a good shot in the middle of the fairway and then had about 269 yards to the flag. I went with a three wood and that was one of the best shots I’ve hit,” he added.

  

When the third round was completed this morning, Siddikur trailed Khan by two but soon tied the Indian youngster with an opening eagle.

His hopes of a second title at the fabled Delhi course, where he won the Indian Open in November, faded as he missed his long birdie chance. “Rashid deserves the win. He’s a talented player. I saw his game and he’s a really good player,” said Siddikur, who finished fourth on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit last season.

“It was a good play-off. I played my game but maybe, I should have played driver. I used my three wood which wasn’t sufficient although I have used three wood in the first four rounds and made birdie every day. But it wasn’t the case in the playoff.”

Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg, a two-time winner in Delhi, finished third after closing with a 68, six shots from the play-off duo, while S.S.P. Chowrasia of India, Spain’s Carlos Pigem and Martin Rominger of Switzerland shared fourth place on 277.

Two-time defending champion Anirban Lahiri, who was bidding to become the first man to win three straight titles at the same tournament, closed with a disappointing 74 for tied eighth place at nine-under-279 along with Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera (72) and countrymen Jyoti Randhawa (69) and Abhijit Singh Chadha (69).

Mr. Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, “Hearty congratulations to Rashid for his first Asian Tour win at the SAIL-SBI Open 2014. I am sure this will be a huge boost for the young Indian players looking to play on higher tours across the globe. We wish Rashid all success for the future.”

Anirban Lahiri, who beat Rashid in a playoff to win the title in 2013, said, “This would be a life-changing moment for Rashid. It was great to see him win a tough encounter on the final day. He has done well to come back strongly from the playoff loss last year.”

PGTI Press release

Perera, Khan locked in battle at rain-hit SAIL-SBI Open Golf

Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera

New Delhi, February 28, 2014: Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera tied overnight leader Rashid Khan of India for the lead at the season-opening SAIL-SBI Open presented by Incredible India before a thunderstorm forced the suspension of the third round on Friday.

The straight-shooting Perera, bidding to become the first Sri Lankan to win on the Asian Tour, battled to three under par through eight holes and 13-under for the tournament when officials abandoned play at the Delhi Golf Club due to inclement weather.

Khan, who led by four overnight, was one over through seven holes while Bangladeshi star Siddikur Rahman moved to within one stroke of the co-leaders with birdies on the first and seventh holes in the US$300,000 Asian Tour event.

Two-time champion Anirban Lahiri of India kept alive his hopes of becoming the first man to win the same tournament in three successive years, although he is poised to bogey the ninth hole to fall two off the pace.

Perera, 27, is geared up for a marathon Saturday, with the third round resuming at7.30am and the players heading out for the final round in the same groupings from9am.

“I’m waiting to win a title on the Asian Tour. Hopefully, it will be tomorrow. It’s exciting but the key is to keep under par. I’ve got to play good again. Hopefully I can have a good start. I’m prepared to play 27 holes. I’m used to it, playing two rounds a day,” said Perera, who birdied the first, second and sixth holes to tie Khan.

With Khan also chasing for a maiden Asian Tour title and Lahiri and Siddikur lurking, Perera knows there will be no margin for error at the ultra-demanding Delhi course. “I’ve just got to play good to win it. Everyone is playing well. I had a good start and on every hole, I hit driver as my tee shots were so good. Made a few birdies with some good iron shots but missed a few too. It will be important to stay on the fairways. If I can do that, I can do something tomorrow,” said the likeable Perera.

Khan, 23, was happy to hear the siren suspending play at 1.22pm before officials eventually called off the round at 3pm. The slender Indian has slept with the overnight lead since his first round heroics of 61 and hopes the shortened day would prove to be a blessing in disguise.

“I think the rain came at the right time. I was one over and the day wasn’t going the way I wanted to. A lot of holes to play tomorrow. I’m hoping for a good day,” said Khan, the reigning Indian PGTI number one.

“It’s going to be a big day tomorrow. I’ll have 28 holes to play, we’ll see what happens. Today, I started really bad and didn’t make any birdies. I will need to start with a birdie in the morning, need a good round going.”

Siddikur, who qualified to represent Team Asia in the inaugural EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM against Europe in Malaysia next month, looms as a big threat to Khan and Perera. The Bangladeshi was victorious at the fabled Delhi course when he won the Hero Indian Open in November.

“It’s going to be a long day for all players. You have to be fit and be prepared for 28 holes. I’m looking forward to it. I’m feeling confident and I hope to enjoy the day. I’ve not seen this sort of thunderstorms in India for a long time, it is like in Malaysia and Dhaka,” said Siddikur.

Lahiri, who finished a career high third on the Order of Merit last season, is 12-under through eight holes but is poised to drop a bogey on nine after missing a short par putt before the siren blew. He birdied the first, third, fifth and eighth holes.

“I missed a small putt for par. I was waiting for the siren to go but things like this happen,” lamented the 26-year-old, who will represent Team Asia in the EurAsia Cup.

“I’ll be two back, I’m in a good spot. It will be important to conserve mental energy as you have to focus so hard around here. I’m glad I’m playing with Mithun (in the same group) as we are great friends. We are joking and kidding around; it’s a very relaxed atmosphere out there. It’ll be good for the two of us.”

Lahiri knows he must chase for the win as he does not expect Khan or Perera to buckle under the pressure of trying to claim a first Asian Tour victory. “I don’t think it’ll be a big deal for Rashid and Mithun. Rashid has won prolifically in India and this is his home course. I don’t think he’ll be nervous. As for Mithun, everything he touches now seems to turn to gold. He’s won the last three events in India. He’s on a juggernaut now. The challenge will be on Siddikur and I to pressure them. If we can do that, I’ll be interesting,” said Lahiri.

Leading third round scores

-13: Mithun Perera (Slk) through 8 holes, Rashid Khan (Ind) through 7 holes

-12: Anirban Lahiri (Ind) through 8 holes, Siddikur Rahman (Ban) through 7 holes

-11: Martin Rominger (Sui) through 8 holes

-10: S.S.P Chowrasia (Ind) through 9 holes

-9: Shamim Khan (Ind) through 9 holes, Scott Barr (Aus) through 9 holes

-8: Rikard Karlberg (Swe) through 15 holes, Anura Rohana (Slk) through 12 holes, Javi Colomo (Esp) through 9 holes, Akinori Tani (Jpn) through 9 holes, Steve Lewton (Eng) through 9 holes, Unho Park (Aus) thru 7 holes.

PGTI Press release

Rashid Khan posts 69 to stay four ahead

Rashid Khan 

New Delhi, February 27, 2014: India’s Rashid Khan posted a three-under-69 in round two to stay four ahead of the rest of the field at the SAIL-SBI Open presented by Incredible India Ministry of Tourism being played at the Delhi Golf Club. Rashid, who had shot a breathtaking 61 on the opening day, closed round two with a total of 14-under-130 at the US$ 300,000 event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGTI. PGTI members Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka and Bangladeshi Md Siddikur Rahman are in joint second along with Australian Unho Park at 10-under-134.

Round two could not be completed on Thursday as play was suspended due to fading light. Twelve players who are yet to complete round two will resume play at 8 am on Friday.

Rashid Khan (61-69), who teed off from the 10th, struggled with his hitting on the back-nine. He made his first birdie of the day on the 16th from 20 feet but slipped with a double-bogey on the very next hole where a wrong club selection meant his shot landed over the green. Khan came back with a 25-feet conversion for eagle on the first and closed the day on a high with birdies on the seventh and ninth.

Rashid said, “Only three balls were inside 10 feet of the flag today. I wasn’t hitting it close at all. Had another good birdie on seven from 25 feet and hit a good five iron to 12 feet on the ninth and holed the putt. It was a good comeback on the second-nine after being one over on the first-nine. I was not comfortable with my swing. My putting helped me stay ahead. The winds were swirling out there this afternoon, it was affecting us.

“I’ll need to make sure I find more greens and hole more putts in the next two days. Tomorrow morning, I’ll work on my swing by spending half an hour more at the range with my coach.”

Bangladesh’s Md Siddikur Rahman (67-67) fired a second straight 67 to be joint second. Siddikur, a PGTI member, had six birdies and a bogey in round two.

Siddikur said, “Another five under today, I’m happy. It’s good. That’s my target. It was really good, everything was good. Hitting and putting was good. I’m especially happy about my putting. I got my putting back. Yesterday, I struggled a bit. I’ve been working on my swing, which is a bit wrong. I can feel it and made some adjustments in the past few weeks.”

Mithun Perera (66-68), another PGTI member, continued to be in joint second position as a result of his second round of 68 that featured six birdies and two bogeys.

Perera said, “Had bad bogeys on second and 15 from the centre of the fairway. But I had a good finish, like yesterday. On the first-nine, my tee shots were off target but I got back my swing on the back-nine. The key will be my tee shots as I’m using a lot of drivers. If I can be on the fairways, I will have a chance. Rashid is a really good player, he’s number one on the PGTI and this is his home course. I have to play good to give him a fight.” 

Indians Anirban Lahiri (70-66) and Digvijay Singh (68-68) are in joint sixth place at eight-under-136. Lahiri and Digvijay shot bogey-free rounds of 66 and 68 respectively.

SSP Chowrasia lies tied eighth at seven-under-137.

PGTI Press release and photo

Rashid on a roll, blasts personal best 11-under-61 for first round lead

 Rashid Khan

New Delhi, February 26, 2014: Rashid Khan began his 2014 Asian Tour season with a bang as he recorded a personal best of 11-under-61 in the opening round of the SAIL-SBI Open presented by Incredible India Ministry of Tourism. Rashid’s first round exploits at his home course, the Delhi Golf Club, helped him establish a daunting five-stroke lead at the US$ 300,000 event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGTI. PGTI member Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka fired a six-under-66 to be tied second along with Japan’s Akinori Tani.

Rashid, the 2013 Rolex Rankings champion on the PGTI, was off to a flying start with four birdies on the front-nine. His solid hitting saw him land the ball within five to 10 feet of the pin on several occasions. The 23-year-old went one better on the back-nine as he picked up an eagle on the 14th and five more birdies. Khan sank a 20-footer for birdie on the 13th and followed that up with a 14-feet eagle putt on the par-5 14th. He thus ended up one short of the course record of 12-under-60 set by Liang Wen-Chong of China at the 2008 Indian Open.

“I didn’t leave myself too many long putts today as my hitting was spot-on. I didn’t focus too much on the leaderboard but just played my game. I’m delighted to have improved on my previous single-round best of nine-under which I shot in Sri Lanka earlier this month. I made a few changes to my swing during the practice round on Monday under the guidance of my fellow professional and senior Ashok Kumar. The changes have helped me hit the fade shot better,” said Rashid, who finished runner-up at the 2013 SAIL-SBI Open after losing in a playoff to Anirban Lahiri.

Rashid went on to add, “This is my first year as a card holder on the Asian Tour and it’s great to start the season in this manner. Winning a tournament on the Asian Tour is my main goal this year. The Order of Merit win on the PGTI last year gave me a lot of confidence. I’ve improved with every passing year and I want to do the same in 2014.”

Mithun Perera, a winner of three successive titles on the PGTI this month, continued his good form on Wednesday. He started off with a birdie on the 10thwhere his second shot landed within a few inches of the pin. Perera sank two more birdies and a bogey on the back-nine to make the turn at two-under. The 27-year-old gained four shots on the last three holes as he drained a 35-feet eagle putt on the eighth and made birdies on the seventh and ninth.

Perera said, “I had a really good start from the 10th hole, the second shot into the green was a given birdie. Six under in my first event of the 2014 season, I’m happy. This is my best at the DGC. I need to keep it going for the next three days. Last three weeks have been so good for me. Every week I’ve had eight-under rounds and I had the confidence to bring into this week’s tournament.”

Bangladesh’s Md Siddikur Rahman, another PGTI member, returned a five-under-67 to occupy joint fourth place along with Scott Barr of Australia.

There are seven Indians among the 10 golfers in tied sixth place at four-under-68. The seven Indians in tied sixth are Sanjay Kumar, C Muniyappa, Digvijay Singh, Shamim Khan, SSP Chowrasia, Chikkarangappa S and Abhijit Singh Chadha.

Anirban Lahiri and Anura Rohana lead their teams to victory

New Delhi, February 25, 2014: The Pro-Am event of the SAIL-SBI Open 2014 presented by Incredible India Ministry of Tourism provided amateur golfers from the capital an opportunity to tee-off along with some of the top professional golfers in Asia.

The Pro-Am of India’s second-longest running international tournament featured a field of 250 players. The youngest participant was 16 years old while the oldest was 85 years old.

The Pro-Am was played in the modified scramble format where the team’s best net score on each hole was counted towards the team score.

In the morning session, PGTI member and defending champion Anirban Lahiri led his team to victory with a score of 51. They won on a count-back of the last six holes. Lahiri’s team comprised of amateurs Mr. Vikram Misri, Mrs. Sheila Sangwan and Mr. Vinay Goel.

Thai professional Jazz J’s team was second with a score of 51. Jazz’s team comprised of amateurs Mr. M S Ray, Mr. Rajindra, and Mr. Subhash Chandra.

PGTI member Wasim Khan’s team comprising of amateurs Mr. P K Misra, Ms. Geeta Rai and Ms. Poonam Chawla finished third. Their team score was 52.

In the afternoon session, Sri Lankan professional Anura Rohana led his team to victory with a score of 49. They won on a count-back of the last six holes. Rohana’s team comprised of amateurs Brig. M S Bains, Brig. C K Maitra and Mr. L K Kapur.

Thai professional Gunn Charoenkul’s team finished second with a score of 49. His team comprised of amateurs Mr. Ashish Malhotra, Mr. Anuva Saurabh and Mr. Deepak Sood.

Among the teams from the afternoon session that could only complete nine holes, PGTI member Mandeo Singh Pathania’s team emerged victorious with a score of 24. The amateurs in his team were Mr. G V Reddy, Mr. Rajiv Pandey and Mr. Aman Sawhaney.

Mr. C S Verma, Chairman, SAIL, gave away the prizes and said, “The Pro-Am event of the SAIL-SBI Open 2014 provided an ideal start to the tournament week as amateur golfers from the Delhi NCR region got an opportunity to rub shoulders with Asia’s best golfing talent. The SAIL-SBI Open Pro-Am continues to be a great platform for promoting golf in the region with golf enthusiasts getting a first-hand experience of the sport at the highest level.”

Picture Caption: Pro-Am winners - Professional Anura Rohana (Centre) and his team receiving their prizes from Mr. C S Verma, Chairman, SAIL (2nd from left)