By Rahul Banerji
The experienced Chikkarangappa S saved his best for the last as came up with a decisive final round performance to win the PGTI Players Championship on Saturday.
With a joint best total of the day, a 7-under 65, Chikka eased to his 14th PGTI title and his 15th overall with a four-day total of 20-under 268, two ahead of overnight leader Veer Ahlawat at the Panchkula Golf Club.
The 27-year-old Bangalorean, who started from third place. put up a determined performance on the last day of the Rs 50 lakh event for a lucrative payday, the PGTI said.
Chikka (69-65-69-65), a former PGTI Order of Merit champion had nine birdies and a double-bogey on the day while Ahlawat, leading for the last two days, had a 2-under 70 for a 270 aggregate and second place.
to show on his card as he wrapped up his 15th career title and 14th win on the PGTI.
The Gurgaon golfer with rounds of 67, 62, 71 and 70, was two shots ahead of Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (72-67-66-67) in third, the best placed of the Tricity golfers.
Early run
Chikkarangappa made an early charge on Saturday with birdies on the first and third holes. He then added three more in a row from five to seven to pull level with Ahlawat, who had a relatively sedate start.
Chikka, who represented India at the World Cup of Golf in 2016, then hit a bump with a double-bogeyed eighth where he found the trees twice.
But the two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour bounced back with tremendous drives on 11 and 12 that resulted in birdies and helped him restore parity with Ahlawat for a second time.
The last six holes gave up a further two shots to the experienced Chikka, who was on the bag for Anirban Lahiri at the Tokyo Olympics.
That advantage held till the end to allow Chikka pick up the winner’s cheque of Rs. 8,08,250 and consolidate his second place on the PGTI Order of Merit.
His final round 65 was matched by Panchkula’s Angad Cheema and Chandigarh’s Ravi Kumar, Cheema finishing T12 on 10-under 278 and Ravi T21 on 5-under 283.
Sharp putting
“I putted really well today and my short game on the last six holes made all the difference,” Chikka said later.
“Making those two birdies on 15 and 16 was the turning point as it gave me the lead.
“I’ve been in contention at Panchkula on several occasions in the past having played in the leader group on the final day virtually every time in the last few years.
“Somehow I never won here. So I’m glad to finally have a win at PGC,” said Chikka, who also had a third-place finish on the PGTI last week.
He added, “I enjoy being under the gun. That seems to bring the best out of me. I always pull out great shots when I’m under pressure. That’s exactly what happened today. Two top finishes in back-to-back weeks is a great morale-booster going ahead.”
Ahlawat, playing his first event in six months, made 17 greens in regulation in the final round but his putts didn’t drop, just like during round three.
He made three birdies and a bogey in his 70 for a cheque worth Rs. 5,58,250 that took him from eighth to fifth position on the PGTI’s money list.
Good show
Yuvraj Singh Sandhu’s eagle on the sixth was accompanied by five birdies and two bogeys as he sealed third place, four shots behind the winner.
Noida’s Amardeep Malik (71) closed the week in fourth place on 15-under 273 to record a second consecutive top-5. He made an eagle, two birdies and three bogeys.
Karandeep Kochhar of Chandigarh finished tied sixth on 13-under 275 along with Gurgaon’s Kartik Sharma and Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow.
Kochhar continues to lead the PGTI Order of Merit with season’s earnings of Rs. 44,48,380.
Chandigarh’s Bishmadpal Singh Seerha, the lone amateur to make the cut, finished tied 36th on 2-under 286.
Also read: Ahlawat takes Panchkula by storm with 10-under 62 blitz
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