By Rahul Banerji
For three days, Om Prakash Chouhan led, but when it came to the wire, it was Chikkarangappa S. who took the honours at the Gujarat Open Golf Championship on Friday.
Mhow’s Chouhan had showed signs of nerves on Moving Day but was confident he could hold out against the pressure.
Chkka, though, gave the three-day leader no chance.
The popular Bangalore golfer carded a solid 4-under-68 to earn the come-from-behind win at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Club in Ahmedabad.
The 27-year-old, a two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and an Asian Tour regular, ended the week at the Rs. 30 lakh event on 9-under-279.
It gave him a three-shot victory margin and a 13th win on the PGTI.
Kolkata’s Viraj Madappa had Friday’s best round of 7-under-65 to finish runner-up on 6-under-282, a gain of 14 places.
Chouhan, the leader for the first three days and ahead by a comfortable five shots, carded a disastrous 6-over-78.
As a result, he dropped to tied third in the final placings on 5-under-283.
Delhi’s Sachin Baisoya (68) and Kolkata’s S.S.P. Chawrasia (71) also took a share of third place along with Chouhan.
Chawrasia was the only player with four sub-par rounds this week.
Chikka (69-72-70-68), who began the day six shots off the pace in third place, had three birdies on his front nine to close in steadily on the lead.
Dramatic twist
The battle took a dramatic turn when Chouhan found the water hazard twice with his tee shot on the par-3 seventh hole which is an island green.
It gave him a quadruple-bogey seven and his lead fell to just one shot.
The setback took a toll on Chouhan’s game as he struggled on the greens thereafter missing short putts on 10, 11 and 17 for bogeys that put him out of the contest.
Chikka, three-under at the turn, seized the advantage as he added three more birdies on the back nine against two bogeys to ease to victory.
He sank a 15-footer for birdie on 13, an important 12-footer for bogey on 14 and landed his approach to within a few inches of the pin for birdie on 17.
With a winning purse of Rs. 4,84,950, Chikka stays second on the PGTI Order of Merit for the 2020-21 season with earnings of Rs. 28,29,930.
Karandeep Kochhar, tied ninth on 1-under-287 this week, continues at the top with Rs. 36,57,130.
Big gains
Chikka, who earned five world ranking points for his win, is now likely to make big gains in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) when the updated list is released on Monday.
He is currently placed 434 in the world ranking.
The fitness-conscious Chikka said, “My hitting had been consistent all week but I often found myself on the wrong side of the greens.
“Today, I missed five greens but was on the right side of the greens so found myself in better positions to make chip-putts. I also hit my wedges really well today.
“I think OP played really well for most of the week but today he may have felt the pressure after I hit it close on the seventh. His quadruple-bogey there gave me a good chance.
“I made a couple of long birdie conversions but the 12-foot conversion for bogey on 14 was also very critical to my chances.
“That limited the damage after I hit my tee shot out of bounds. It was probably the turning point. I also played a good chip to get away with a bogey on 10 after an erratic drive.
“Overall, it was a great week as I didn’t shoot an over-par round despite the tough conditions at this venue.
Critical time
“The win comes at an important stage for me as we’re in an Olympic year and the race for qualifying is on. This win will hopefully help me make a significant gain in the world rankings.
“I recently met Rahul Dravid in Bangalore who’s been my mentor for a long time. I told him my plans about how I’m working on my game and my fitness.
“He complimented me on my fitness and that was a big motivation. Just getting to meet him and talking to him has often helped my confidence.”
Madappa (69-74-74-65), a winner on the Asian Tour, made a 30-foot eagle conversion on 12 and also found the hole from 15 to 20 feet on the fourth and 11th.
He recovered well from the trees on the 10th as he hit his nine-iron approach to within eight feet for another birdie. Viraj’s card featured four more birdies and two bogeys.
Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee (71) took sixth place on 3-under-285.
Ahmedabad’s Varun Parikh was the highest-placed among the local players at T19 with a 5-over-293.
Aryan Roopa Anand of Bangalore finished tied 21st on 6-over-294. He took the trophy for the best performing amateur.
Also read: Om Prakash Chouhan opens up seven-shot lead at Gujarat Open
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