Come-from-behind win for Rashid Khan at Chandigarh GC

By Rahul Banerji

Playing below the radar as others hogged the limelight around him, Delhi’s Rashid Khan came from behind to pip the field on the line in the Rs 30 lakh Tata Steel PGTI Players Championship at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Friday.

Rashid (70-68-71-66)returned a final round card of 6-under-66 to register a two-shot victory at 13-under-275 for his 12^th professional title and his 10^th on the PGTI.

The 28-year-old, a two-time Asian Tour winner, had the final day’s best score and the result took him atop the Tata Steel PGTI Order of Merit with season’s earnings of Rs. 25,68,453, overtaking Bangalore’s S. Chikkarangappa.

Noida’s Gaurav Pratap Singh (69-67-71-70) and round three leader Shankar Das (68-68-68-73) of Kolkata, both in contention till the final stages were joint second at 11-under-277.

Strong local show

The highest-placed golfers from Chandigarh were Aadil Bedi (67), Karandeep Kochhar (68) and Harendra Gupta (69) all in tied eighth with 7-under-281s.

Rashid, tied fifth overnight and five shots off the lead, turned the tables with a top-notch performance on Friday to continue his hot streak which began late last year.

Rashid, who took home the winner’s cheque worth Rs. 4,84,950, has now recorded three wins in the last six months on the PGTI. He made a quiet start to the round and was 1-under on the front nine with two birdies and a bogey.

But Rashid’s fortunes hit an upswing when he birdied twice to open his back nine, one a recovery from the trees and the second a 25-foot putt, all adding to the confidence of the 2013 and 2016 PGTI Order of Merit champion.

Memorable result

A further three birdies gave him the lead and finally the title from Gaurav Pratap in a memorable come-from-behind victory.

Rashid said later, “It’s great to win my second trophy this year. I’ve gone through some tough times over the last two years but I’m glad that my game is peaking once again.

“I was hitting it well through the week but was just not able to make the putts. But the turnaround happened on the 10^th where I recovered from a tricky position and then converted an eight-footer for birdie. I made an important adjustment to my putting stroke on that hole. That proved to be the game-changer for me as I sank all the putts thereafter.

“I knew three to four birdies on the last six holes would probably take me into a playoff with Gaurav. Once I made a par-save on the 15^th, I told myself to just focus on hitting fairways to give myself a chance.”

Late slip

Gaurav Pratap Singh was in the lead till well into the day before he was reeled in by Rashid and even with a hole to go, they were level, till a double-bogey on the final hole ended his hopes.

Das had an off day with a 73 after his three rounds of 68, while Greater Noida’s Sudhir Sharma (73), who set the new course record of 64 earlier in the tournament, finished fourth on 10-under-278.

Also read: Rashid Khan takes round one lead at Players Championship