Kshitij Naveed Kaul receives the Poona Club Open trophy and cheque from (left to right) club president Gaurav Gadhoke, former captain Ikram Khan, lady captain Padmaja Shirke, club captain Jay Shirke and PGTI chief executive U.S. Mundy in Pune on Saturday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Kshitij Naveed Kaul kept his cool to seal a wire-to-wire title run on the final day of the inaugural Rs 1 crore Poona Club Open on Saturday for his fourth career win.
The Delhi golfer returned a closing 4 under par 67 highlighted by a dramatic final hole birdie to tally 20 under 264, a stroke ahead of Chandigarh’s Karandeep Kochhar, the PGTI said.
The 23-year-old Kaul (64-66-67-67), who won on the PGTI after two years, collected a cheque worth Rs 15 lakhs to climb 31 spots to 18th in the Tata Steel PGTI Rankings. It was Kaul’s second title at the Poona Club Golf Course.
Kochhar (64-66-70-65), tied for third overnight three shots off the lead, came up with a strong 6 under 65 on Saturday to take second place on 19-under 265.
Rankings Veer Ahlawat (69) extended his lead with a tied third place finish on 15 under 269 alongside fellow Gurgaon golfer Dhruv Sheoran, who matched the course record with a 63, and Delhi’s Rashid Khan (67).
Udayan Mane also returned a 63 in a round that featured six consecutive birdies. The Pune golfer ended the week as the best-placed local player in tied ninth on 12 under 272.
Kaul, who won his maiden professional title at the same venue in 2019, his rookie season, dominated the week from the outset having led from the first round.
He began Saturday with a two-shot lead and held steady over the first 12 holes making birdies at regular intervals on the fifth, ninth and 12th holes with some quality driving and chipping.
Late twist
However, the script had a little twist. Kaul bogeyed hole 15 and birdied 17 as Kochhar went on a tear making seven birdies to draw level with the leader.
Kaul then found trouble with his tee shot on 18, landing in the left jungle but recovered with a brilliant third shot from 250 yards that stopped seven feet from the hole.
The big-built youngster then sank a critical seven-foot putt for birdie with clinical precision to seal the title.
“I played really well through the week and was very steady on the last day hitting most fairways and greens and making birdies wherever I got the opportunity,” the soft-spoken Kaul said later.
“I stayed in the moment and didn’t get too ahead of myself. The third shot on 18 was special and turned out to be decisive.
“The Poona Club Golf Course continues to be a lucky venue for me. It’s nice to always come back here, a course where I have won at the professional, amateur, junior and sub-junior levels in the past.
“I’m thrilled to have added more good memories at this venue this week. My driving, tee shots and putting were excellent for most part of the week.
“This win has come after quite a while for me. So, a huge shout out to my coach Jesse Grewal for getting my game back on track.”
Also read: Kaul leads in Pune after round three, Parikh is up to second
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