Udayan Mane cruises to eight-stroke victory at Western India Oxford Masters for second title in four weeks

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune, October 23, 2015: Rookie Udayan Mane has had a dream start to his professional career. On Friday, the 24-year-old from Bengaluru secured his second title in only his ninth professional event when he cruised to a comfortable eight-stroke victory at the inaugural Western India Oxford Masters at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune. Mane shot a clinical four-under-68 in round four to take his tournament total to 19-under-269 and as a result claim his second title in a span of four weeks.

Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan finished a distant second at 11-under-277 at the Rs. 30 lakh PGTI event.

Udayan Mane (65-69-67-68), who enjoyed a mammoth six-shot lead ahead of the final round, didn’t look in trouble at any stage on Friday. He was ahead by six shots or more through the day. Udayan, who won his maiden title in Jaipur three weeks back, was quick off the blocks in round four as he birdied the second after landing it within three feet and sank an eagle on the fourth thanks to a 20-feet conversion. The bogey on the ninth was a minor hiccup for Mane where his tee shot went off the mark.

Mane got his back-nine going with two good pars on the 10th and 11th and a 10-feet birdie putt on the 12th. He finally sealed his wire-to-wire win in style by knocking in a 45-footer for birdie on the 17th. It is only the first time that a player has won two titles in his rookie season on the PGTI.

Udayan said, “I knew I had a very good chance of winning today as a result of the substantial lead. However, I took nothing for granted and wanted to get off to a good start which I did manage to do. I was striking it well so I was confident of hitting the fairways and greens and taking my chances on the greens.

“The birdie on the 12th got my back-nine going after I dropped a bogey on the ninth. Thereafter I knew I didn’t have to do anything extraordinary.

“I don’t just want to score well but in fact want to achieve a certain quality in my game. Once I have that quality, the scores will follow. The two wins mean that I’ll now have to reassess my goals for the season and aim much higher than before,” said Mane, who led in all four rounds of the tournament.

Mane took home the winner’s cheque worth Rs. 4,50,000 which pushed him up from seventh place to third position in the Rolex Rankings. His season’s earnings now read Rs. 14,72,792. Abhijit Singh Chadha of Chandigarh continues to lead the money rankings with season’s earnings of Rs. 17,91,165. Udayan has now also consolidated his position on top of the 2015 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year table. He has emerged as the firm favourite to win the title with nearest rival Pratap Atwal a distant second with earnings of Rs. 4,29,606.

Abhinav Lohan (72-65-70-70), who was overnight tied second, finished as sole runner-up after his final round of two-under-70. Lohan fired five birdies against two bogeys.

Shubhankar Sharma of Gurgaon shot the day’s joint best score of six-under-66 to end the week in tied third place along with Sri Lankan Anura Rohana (71) at 10-under-278.

Noida’s Rahul Bajaj claimed fifth place at seven-under-281.

Abhishek Jha of Bengaluru also shot a 66, the day’s joint best score, to secure tied 16th place at two-under-286.

Nagpur’s Moinuddin Malak, who also resides and plays a lot of golf in Pune, finished as the highest-placed professional from Western India and Maharashtra. Malak was tied 27th at one-over-289.

Fourteen-year-old Kshitij claims creditable tied 16th; Bags ‘Raj Kumar Pitamber Trophy’ for best amateur

Delhi’s Kshitij Naveed Kaul, the lone amateur to make the cut this week, claimed a creditable tied 16th finish with a total score of two-under-286. The 14-year-old Kaul, playing in a professional event for the first time, made an eagle, three birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey, en route his even-par-72 in the final round. The teenage talent, currently one of India’s top junior golfers, didn’t shoot a single over-par score this week as he posted rounds of 70, 72, 72 and 72. Kaul became the first recipient of the “Raj Kumar Pitamber Trophy” on Friday as the best performing amateur.

The trophy honours the memory of Raj Kumar Pitamber, perhaps Western India’s most prominent golfer for many decades.

PGTI Press release

Udayan Mane takes commanding six-shot lead in round three of Western India Oxford Masters

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune, October 22, 2015: Bengaluru-based rookie golfer Udayan Mane built a commanding six-shot lead in the penultimate round of the inaugural Western India Oxford Masters after he produced a brilliant five-under-67 at the Oxford Golf Resort on Thursday. Mane’s three-day total of 15-under-201 gave him the lead for the third successive day at the Rs. 30 lakh PGTI event. Sri Lankan Anura Rohana and Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan were in tied second at nine-under-207.

Udayan Mane (65-69-67), the overnight leader by three shots, gained an upper hand early on in round three as he nailed three consecutive birdies on the third, fourth and fifth. Mane landed his tee shot within three feet on the par-3 third before finding the green in two on the par-5 fourth. He converted a seven-footer on the fifth to make it a hat-trick of birdies.

Udayan consolidated his lead on the final stretch of the day with birdies on 16 and 17. He drained a 12-feet putt on the 16th after recovering well from the bunker while the 17th saw him sink his longest putt of the day, a 15-footer.

Mane, staring at his second title in four weeks, said, “I stuck to my process and my game-plan really well. I grabbed all my chances on the greens. I was off to a good start with those early birdies. From then on I kept hitting the greens. I struggled a little bit with my approaches and the pitching wedge on the back-nine but I continued to focus on creating chances.

“I drove well today and hit more fairways and greens in regulation than the previous round. The wind wasn’t blowing hard but just enough to make me recalculate. I will just try to follow my processes and do my thing in the final round than think about the result,” added Mane, whose 67 was the joint best score of day three.

Anura Rohana (69-68-70) mixed five birdies with a bogey and a double-bogey in his third round of 70 to continue in his overnight tied second position, six behind the leader Mane.

Abhinav Lohan (72-65-70) also shot a 70 to hold on to his overnight tied second place. His round featured four birdies and two bogeys.

Delhi’s Vinod Kumar was in fourth place at six-under-210.

Shamim Khan, another Delhi golfer, who shot the day’s joint best score of 67, occupied tied fifth along with Kolkata’s Mohammad Sanju, Noida golfers Rahul Bajaj and Vikrant Chopra and Gurgaon’s Deepinder Singh Kullar at five-under-211.

Honouring an Indian golfing legend

In order to honour the memory of perhaps Western India’s most prominent golfer for many decades, the amateur trophy of the tournament has been named the “Raj Kumar Pitamber Trophy”. “Pit” as he was known was a regular member of the Indian national amateur squad during the 1960’s and 70’s when India won the 1973 Asia Pacific Amateur Team championship. He captained India between 1964 and 1975 at a time when the game was largely amateur-driven in India. Pitamber was the All India Amateur champion in 1966 and 1973 and was decorated with the Arjuna Award in 1967. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 74.

Kshitij Naveed Kaul, the lone amateur to make the cut this week, was placed tied 18th at two-under-214. As the best performing amateur in the field, 14-year-old Kaul is set to be the first recipient of the “Raj Kumar Pitamber Trophy” on Friday after the final round.

Juniors Golf Clinic

In line with their objective of promoting golf at the grassroots in Western India, the tournament organizers and PGTI jointly held a Juniors Golf Clinic which was attended by junior golfers and school and college students at the Oxford Golf Resort’s Driving Range. The clinic was conducted by Australian professional and PGTI member Kunal Bhasin, a winner of three titles.

PGTI Press release

Udayan Mane continues domination at Western India Oxford Masters, leads by three at halfway stage

Udayan Mane

Pune, October 21, 2015: Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane continued his domination at the inaugural Western India Oxford Masters as he shot a determined three-under-69 in round two of the Rs. 30 lakh event at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune to hold a three-shot lead at the halfway stage. Mane’s two-day total reads an impressive 10-under-134. Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad and Sri Lankan Anura Rohana are placed tied second at seven-under-137.

Udayan Mane (65-69), the overnight leader by two shots, was off to a solid start on Wednesday as he collected a birdie from eight feet on the second before picking up another stroke on the par-5 fourth where he found the green in two. Udayan looked set to get another low number when he sank an eagle on the par-5 ninth for the second day in succession. His immaculate four-iron approach landed within four feet of the pin on the ninth.

After making the turn at four-under, Mane had a contrasting back-nine. His erratic tee shots on the 10th and 13th resulted in a bogey and double-bogey respectively. Udayan, in fact, suffered a lost ball after hitting it out of bounds on the 13th. The saving grace for him on the back-nine were the two chip-putt birdies on the 11th and 13th, both par-5s. He thus ended up with a score of 5-under on the four par-5s in round two.

Mane said, “I played well today even though a couple of bad swings cost me dearly. These things do happen during a round but importantly I came back well from these situations, especially after the double-bogey on the 13th.

“It was a round where I set up myself to match my first round score or probably even improve upon it. However, the back-nine didn’t go as per plan. The ninth is obviously my favourite hole now since I’ve made two consecutive eagles there. It was quite satisfying to score on all the four par-5s today.

“I’ve given myself a good platform to have a shot at the title over the last two days.”

Abhinav Lohan (72-65) took a huge leap from overnight tied 27th to tied second after his round of seven-under-65 which was the day’s best score. Lohan registered eight birdies against a lone bogey on Wednesday. He closed his round with a magnificent 25-footer for birdie on the 18th.

Lohan said, “I’ve been playing well recently. I had shot a seven-under in Jaipur earlier this month. I was going well in round one here until I lost a ball on the front-nine that in turn slowed me down. Even though I missed a few short putts today, the birdie on the last hole really lifted my confidence.”

Anura Rohana (69-68), who was overnight tied fourth, joined Lohan in joint second on day two after his round of 68 that featured five birdies and a bogey.

Bengaluru’s R Murthy made his way up from overnight tied 10th to tied fourth after shooting a 68 on Wednesday that included an eagle, three birdies and a bogey.

Noida’s Vikrant Chopra, Delhi’s Honey Baisoya and Deepinder Singh Kullar of Gurgaon were in tied fifth at five-under-139.

Among the golfers from Maharashtra, Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane was tied 19th at one-under-143 while Pune’s Moinuddin Malak was tied 34th at two-over-146.

The cut was declared at four-over-148. Fifty-six professionals and one amateur made the cut. The lone amateur to make the cut was Kshitij Naveed Kaul. Kaul occupied tied 13th place at two-under-142.  

PGTI Press release

Udayan Mane enjoys early advantage at Western India Oxford Masters courtesy a super 65

Pune, October 20, 2015: Rookie golfer Udayan Mane of Bengaluru, fresh from his maiden title in Jaipur three weeks back, continued his rich vein of form in the opening round of the inaugural Western India Oxford Masters with a superb seven-under-65 to take a two-shot lead. Delhi’s Vinod Kumar was second at five-under-67 on day one of the Rs. 30 lakh event at the Oxford Golf Resort.

Udayan Mane, a 10th tee starter on Tuesday, nailed a couple of crucial long-range birdie putts on the 14th and 17th, both par-3s, to get his round going. The 24-year-old Mane set up two more birdies on the first and fourth courtesy some accurate drives and approach shots.

Udayan recovered well from the rough before sinking a 20-footer for birdie on the fifth to move to five-under for the day. The burly golfer, measuring 6 feet 4 inches in height, closed his round with a flourish as he claimed an eagle on the par-5 ninth from a distance of 10 feet to end up with a bogey-free 65.

Mane said, “I was spot-on with my course management today. My club-selection was perfect and I picked the right lines on the greens. I recovered well after a couple of errant tee shots on two occasions. Besides those two holes I really didn’t land myself in any tough situation.

“On the opening 10th hole, I hit my tee shot left but came back well to make par. That settled me down and let me focus. I also had a lucky break on the seventh where my tee shot rebounded off a tree and landed back on the fairway. That was a big moment in the round as I consider the seventh the toughest driving hole.

“It was heartening to make two 20-feet birdie putts today. I’m not looking at any numbers this week but instead just want to play to my potential. The opening round has given me a solid foundation to build on over the next three days,” added Mane.

Vinod Kumar mixed seven birdies with two bogeys for a brilliant 67 to be two off the lead. Vinod was in tremendous chipping form as he chipped-in for birdie on the fifth and landed it within inches on the 16th. He also set up tap-in birdies thanks to his strong iron-play on the ninth and 12th. The multiple winner on the PGTI almost holed out his approach from 170 yards on the 12th.

“I was stroking my putts well. However, some of them didn’t roll in. My driving and iron shots were top-class and I’m extremely satisfied with the first round effort. I’ve had a low opening round after a long time. This sets me up for the week,” said an excited Vinod.

Gurgaon-based Shubhankar Sharma shot a flawless four-under-68 to lie third.

There was a six-way tie for fourth place between Sri Lankans Anura Rohana and K Prabagaran, Noida golfers Vikrant Chopra and Gaurav Pratap Singh, Delhi’s Honey Baisoya and Australian Kunal Bhasin, at three-under-69.

Pune-based professionals Aditya Bhandarkar (70) and Moinuddin Malak (71) shot under-par scores to be tied 10th and tied 21st respectively.

Delhi’s Chiragh Kumar, who secured his Asian Tour card with a creditable tied second at the Venetian Macau Open last week, posted a 75 to be tied 56th.

Chiragh said, “It was a big moment for me last week as securing the Asian Tour card was a huge relief and a confidence-booster at the same time. It was a tough tournament with a strong field and I’m delighted to have put up a good performance there.

“It was great to play the final round in Macau with my former India team-mate Anirban Lahiri who has been in the form of his life. We kept encouraging each other during the round,” added Chiragh.

“I reached Pune late last evening so didn’t have the opportunity to play a practice round. My putting let me down today as I missed a few short putts. Nonetheless, I hope I can come back in the second round as I’ve been playing well recently,” said Chiragh.

Digvijay Singh’s team wins the Pro-Am event of Western India Oxford Masters 2015

Pune, October 19, 2015: The Pro-Am event of the Western India Oxford Masters 2015 played at the Oxford Golf Resort on Sunday was won by professional Digvijay Singh’s team.

The Pro-Am was played in the Texas Scramble format where the team’s best ball was chosen on every shot including the putting green. After the best ball was chosen all other players were to place their ball within one score card length before continuing play.

PGTI member Digvijay Singh led his team to victory with a score of 54.6. Digvijay’s team comprised of amateurs Mr. Dilip Thomas, Mrs. Manisha Jaitha and Mr. Manish Jaitha.

PGTI member Mohammad Sanju’s team was second with a score of 55.1. Sanju’s team comprised of amateurs Mr. Akashdeep Kaul, Mr. Jagdish Chandra Belwal and Mr. Jitender Munot.

PGTI Press release