By Rahul Banerji
Gaganjeet Bhullar justified the favourite’s tag with a one-shot win on Sunday’s final day of the season-ending Tata Steel Tour championship in Jamshedpur.
The 2020 winner sealed his grip on the trophy and a Rs 45 lakh cheque with an error-free 6 under 66 at the Beldih and Golmuri Golf Courses, the PGTI said,
Chandigarh-based (64-66-67-66) totaled 25-under 263 at the Rs 3 crore event to record the lowest winning total at the Tour Championship. Improving on his 24-under 264 from the 2020 edition.
Rahil Gangjee (70-62-65-67) finished runner-up at 24-under 264 after firing a 67 in the last round.
Bangalore-based Gangjee’s prize money cheque of Rs 30 lakh moved him up 26 spots in the PGTI Order of Merit as he ended the year in sixth place.
Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (66-66-65-68) had a creditable third place finish at 23-under 265 to gain four places on the money list to end the year fifth.
Big winner
The big winner for the season though was long-time merit leader Om Prakash Chouhan (72-68-65-68) of Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, who brought in a tied 10th finish on 15-under 273 and top the rankings race.
The 37-year-old closed the season with record earnings of Rs 1.18 crore, the highest ever for a PGTI season. Om Prakash, now based at Kalhaar Blues & Greens golf course in Ahmedabad, broke Manu Gandas’ previous record of Rs 88.50 lakh.
Chouhan won four titles and posted eight other top-10s this season and the icing on the cake is a card on the DP World (European) Tour for the 2024 season.
Patna’s Aman Raj finished second on the PGTI Ranking with season’s earnings of Rs 91,90,745 after he tied for seventh on 16-under 272 in Jamshedpur.
Bhullar, a 12-time international winner, ended up as the wire-to-wire winner in Jamshedpur as he led the field from round one itself.
Solid hitting
His 12th PGTI win was the result of an eagle and four birdies on Sunday. Bhullar had three birdies on the front nine with two up and downs and a brilliant tee shot on the par-3 seventh that landed one foot from the hole.
The 35-year-old, originally from Kapurthala in Punjab, tightened his hold on the title after finding the par-5 12th green in two shots that set up an eagle conversion. Bhullar’s final birdie came on hole 15 where he landed his approach to four feet.
Bhullar, who looked unruffled through the day, said, “I was focused on winning and was solid today from tee to green. It was all about repeating what I had done in the previous three rounds.
Turning point
“Executed my plans well today and played some great iron and wedge shots. The two-shot swing in my favour on the 14th and 15th holes was probably the turning point today.”
Gangjee led Bhullar by two shots after 13 holes with eight birdies and a bogey. However, a poor final stretch with two dropped shots over the last five holes swung the match back into Gaganjeet’s favour.
Gangjee left a five-foot par-putt on 17 agonisingly short of the cup. It was Rahil’s best finish of the season.
Angad Cheema’s fourth round of 68 featured an eagle, five birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey and ensured his second top-3 finish of the year.
Yuvraj Singh Sandhu’s 9 under 63 was the day’s best score and helped him finish fourth at 20-under 268.
Jamshedpur-based professionals Karan Taunk (1 under 287) and Kurush Heerjee (298) finished tied 61st and 72nd respectively.
Chopra is top rookie
Twenty-four-year-old rookie Varun Chopra of the US won the PGTI Emerging Player of the Year title with season earnings of Rs 33,15,577.
Chopra, who claimed tied 14th place on 14 under 274 at the season-ending event, secured a creditable 15th place on the PGTI Order of Merit that had four top-10s including two runner-up finishes.
Final top five
263: Gaganjeet Bhullar (64-66-67-66)
264: Rahil Gangjee (70-62-65-67)
265: Angad Cheema (66-66-65-68)
268: Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (73-66-66-63)
269: Rashid Khan (69-65-68-67)
Also read: Gangjee, Bhullar and Cheema tied for Tour Championship lead
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