By Rahul Banerji
Abhijit Singh Chadha posted a comfortable six-shot win with a final day 4-under par 66, at the Rs. 40 lakh Pune Open Golf Championship at the Poona Club Golf Course on Saturday.
It was the Chandigarh golfer’s third consecutive bogey-free round, and it left young rookie Kartik Sharma well in his wake, the PGTI said.
Chadha (63-65-64-66), leading by one shot at the end of round three, sank four birdies on Saturday, to end up with an impressive winning total of 21-under 258.
The 30-year-old negotiated the conditions well through the week as he went error-free for 71 holes after a bogey on the first hole in round one.
It was Chadha’s third title and his first in six years. He took home a prize money cheque worth Rs. 6,46,600 to move up nine spots to 15th in the PGTI Order of Merit.
Sharma (66-60-67-71) returned a 1-over 71 on the final day to finish second on 15-under 264. Kartik’s round featured a birdie and two bogeys as the putts didn’t roll in for him.
Nonetheless, it was a career-best finish for the left-hander who moved up seven places to 18th in PGTI’s merit list. It was also his fifth top-10 this season.
Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia shot the best score for the second day in succession to finish third on 13-under 266.
On Saturday, Chowrasia’s 65 was matched by Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (tied eighth on 7-under 272), Bangalore’s C. Muniyappa (T17 on 3-under 276) and Gurgaon’s Ankur Chadha (T26 on 2-over 281).
Dominant run
Chadha, a silver medalist from the 2010 Asian Games, dominated the proceedings from the outset in round four as he began pulling away from the rest of the field early on.
After Sharma missed the green and the subsequent chip-putts to drop shots on the second and third holes, Chadha converted 10-foot birdie conversions on the fifth and sixth to stretch his lead to a massive five shots.
Thereafter, Kartik could not convert his opportunities on the greens and Chadha further extended his aadvantage with birdies on 16 and 17, making a mammoth 66-foot putt on the latter.
Chadha finally emerged triumphant by six shots after Sharma picked up a birdie on the 18th hole.
Football fan Chadha, who also enjoys listening to Punjabi music, said, “I’m very proud of my effort as I handled myself really well the whole week especially with the conditions not being favourable.
“I didn’t expect it to be so calm today but Kartik made a few mistakes early on and I capitalised on them. From there on, it was just about keeping the ball in play. So I was quite relaxed for most of the round.
On the rise
“I’ve had two top-10s and an 11th place finish in my last three events. So the game has been on the upswing and I’ve been shooting good numbers for a while.
“When I holed that final putt, it was a feeling of relief and also validation of all the hard work that I’ve done and the inputs that I’ve got coming from everywhere. It’s great to see everything coming together.
“My caddie, the seasoned Raju, did a great job. He was superb and very professional throughout the week.”
Bangalore’s Syed Saqib Ahmed (69) took fourth place on 9-under 270.
Among the Pune golfers, amateur Rohan Dhole Patil (75-67-68-70) had the best finish with a T24 on 1-over 280. Rohan also took the trophy for the best performing amateur.
Delhi-based amateur Krishnav Nikhil Chopraa, son of former cricketer Nikhil Chopra, struck a hole-in-one on 16 during his final round of 67. He claimed tied 26th place at 2-over 281.
Also read: Chadha leads by one over Sharma in two-horse race at Pune
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