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