By Rahul Banerji
The Rs 1 crore 17th Tata Open provided a fitting finale to a competitive 2018 PGTI season with Om Prakash Chouhan keeping his calm on an action-packed day to prevail by one shot at the par-71 Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur on Sunday.
Chouhan finished with a total of 20-under-264 to end a four-year title jinx. It was the Mhow player’s fifth professional title and his second win at the Tata Open after the 2014 edition.
Bengaluru’s S. Chikkarangappa shot the day’s best score, an eight-under-63 that helped him finish runner-up at 19-under-265. Chikka had a fabulous closing stretch with birdies on his last four holes.
While Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi had already sealed the PGTI Order of Merit title with earnings of Rs. 62,81,340 before the start of the event, the tournament decided second place on the merit list which went to Kolkata’s absent Viraj Madappa with earnings of Rs. 46,17,097.
Chikkarangappa’s runner-up finish this week, helped him clinch third place on the money list with earnings of Rs. 44,01,435.
Chandra is year’s rookie
Mysuru-based 23-year-old Yashas Chandra, who missed the cut at Jamshedpur, won the PGTI Emerging Player of the Year race. His season’s earnings of Rs. 13,26,493 was the highest among the rookies by a long distance.
Chandra had nine starts in the season and posted two top-5 finishes. His best result was fourth at the CG Open 2018.
Said Chouhan later, “The turning point was the birdie on the 12th. I was feeling the pressure as Rashid had caught up with me. But after I birdied that hole and Rashid made a double-bogey there, I felt quite at ease. I knew I just had to keep playing regulation from there on.
‘Strong suit’
“Chikka did come close towards the end but I only got to know his score when I was going to chip to set up a par on the last. Chipping is the strongest part of my game so I was quite confident of landing it close on the 18th. That’s exactly what I managed to do.
“I owe this win to my brother Deepak who also caddies for me. He has always helped me get my game back on track with his sound advice.
“Last night Deepak told me to play my game, not think too much about the others and shoot at least a two-under which he felt would be good enough to win. He was proved right as I won with a two-under.”
Clean run
Noida’s Amardip Malik came up with a flawless 66 which featured four birdies on the last six holes to clinch third place at 18-under-266.
Delhi’s Rashid Khan, the leader in the first two rounds, slipped from overnight second to fourth after a final round of 71.
Khan, seeking a second title in two weeks, was all square with the leader till the 11th but his challenge faded away with the double-bogey on the 12th. His total for the week read 17-under-267.
Joshi (66) finished 10th at 14-under-270.
Also read: Khalin Joshi is 2018 PGTI Order of Merit champion
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