By Rahul Banerji
Khalin Joshi fired a clean final round to emerge winner of the Rs 50 lakh Tata Steel PGTI Players Championship presented by KGiSL on Saturday.
Pre-event favourite Joshi’s four-under 68 that also helped set a new record for the lowest winning total at the Coimbatore Golf Club with his 14-under 274 aggregate.
It was the Bangalore-based Joshi’s seventh professional win in all and sixth victory on the PGTI.
The 30-year-old took home a cheque worth Rs. 7,50,000 that lifted him from 35th to 10th on the PGTI Order of Merit.
Joshi’s run was a final day heartbreak for Arjun Sharma of Jaypee Greens who led Joshi into the final day by one shot as he fell short of a maiden PGTI victory.
Sharma carded a 70 on Saturday for a career-best runner-up finish at 13-under 275 and moved from 77th to 28th place on the money list.
Ahmedabad’s Varun Parikh aced the seventh hole en route to a final round of 68 to take third place on 11-under 277.
It was also a career-best display by Parikh, who held steady in the top six all the way through the four rounds.
Joshi (69-68-69-68), a winner on the Asian Tour and the 2018 PGTI Order of Merit champion, started briskly with two early birdies.
Cashing in
He then added two more – on six and nine – to make the most of the front nine, where he had failed to capitalise on over the first three days.
Joshi, whose driving was a standout during the week, also made some good par saves including a chip-in and six- to seven-foot conversions to seal his first title since his win in Jaipur in October last year.
In doing so, he bettered Sri Lankan K. Prabagaran’s previous winning total of nine-under 279 at the CGC back in 2014.
Joshi said, “I knew a good start would put pressure on all my other rivals. That’s exactly what I did. Very pleased with my start and I finally managed to score well on the front nine.
“The chip-in for par on the seventh was the game-changer for me as it gave me further momentum after the birdie on the sixth. I was also happy with the way I kept my composure on the back nine.
“Driving was the best aspect of my game this week. Solid hitting off the tee made it easier for me to score. I’m someone who thrives on confidence and momentum, so hopefully I can now capitalise on this good form in the coming events.”
Arjun Sharma (67-69-69-70) traded four birdies for two bogeys and was neck and neck with Khalin till the 15th hole.
Costly drops
Arjun put up a gritty display sinking some good putts but also had three three-putts that resulted in two bogeys and a par on 13.
The 29-year-old’s dropped shot on 16 saw him lose the joint lead after which Joshi did not give him another look in.
“I take away a lot from this week’s performance. I managed myself very well on the course and kept myself in the match till the very end,” Arjun said, later.
“The fact that I performed well in such difficult conditions with the wind being a major factor, gives me a lot of self-belief going ahead.”
Ahmedabad’s Parikh (70-68-71-68), who made a hole-in-one with his five-iron on the seventh, had five birdies and three bogeys during his round.
Bangalore’s M. Dharma (68) took fourth place on 10-under 278.
Rookie debutant Akshay Neranjen (74) of Bangalore took a creditable tied fifth place on seven-under 281 along with the seasoned Amandeep Johl (68) of Chandigarh and Delhi’s Sachin Baisoya (68).
The day’s best score of 66 came from Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain who ended the week in tied 14th at four-under 284.
Also read: Arjun Sharma fans hopes of maiden PGTI title at Players C’ship
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