Abhishek Kumar receives his cheque and trophy from PGTI championship director Prabhash Thakur, (second from left), Dr. Arvind Lohan (seccond from right) and Rishi Agarwal. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Abhishek Kumar produced a tournament low round to register a sensational come-from-behind victory at the DP World PGTI NexGen season-opener in Faridabad on Thursday
The Panchkula golfer fired a sublime bogey-free 8 under par 64 to win the Rs 25 lakh event by two shots at the Aravalli Golf Club, the DP World PGTI said.
Kumar (72-73-64), who was overnight tied 10th and eight shots off the lead, sank eight birdies on Thursday including five on the trot to finish with a tournament total of 7 under 209.
It was the 24-year-old’s maiden professional win.
Overnight leader Aditya Raj Singh Chahal (69-68-74) was second on 5 under 211 after starting the final day ahead by five strokes.
Jujhar Singh (72) took third place on 2 under 214.
Abhishek Kumar found the edge of the green with his tee shots on four occasions on the Par-4 holes to set up birdies.
Besides driving it to perfection, Abhishek consistently landed irons and wedges close to the pins.
Hot streak
After an early gain, he came up with five consecutive birdies from holes seven to 11 and added two more on 16 and 17.
Chahal made an eagle and a birdie on Thursday but also conceded a bogey and two double-bogeys that saw his challenge fade away.
“My aim at the start of the day was to shoot a five-under to give myself a chance,” Abhishek said.
“But after that run of five consecutive birdies in the middle of the round followed by a great par save on the 12th, I gained in confidence and sensed a good opportunity of winning.
“Following the birdies on 16 and 17, I knew that I had to only make par on 18 to win and I managed to do that. My driving, iron shots and chipping were just outstanding.
“After my poor performance at the DP World PGTI Qualifying School in January, this win gives me a lot of self-belief. I would like to thank my sponsor Tushar Narang for all his support.”
The second event, presented by R.S. Gill, will be played from March 3 to 5 at the Ranjitgarh Golf Club in Phillaur.
The next three events are at Lucknow Golf Club (March 10 to 12), Golden Greens Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon (March 17 to 19) and Patna Golf Club (March 24 to 26).
Also read: Chahal builds solid lead in round two of Faridabad NexGen event
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