Angad Cheema receives his trophy from cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar and Grant Thornton Bharat CEO Vishesh C. Chandiok at Prestige Golfshire on Saturday. Also seen are PGTI president Kapil Dev, former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Tour CEO Amandeep Johl. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Angad Cheema dominated the final round with a 6 under par 66 to win the Rs 2 crore Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational mixed event at the Prestige Golfshire Club in Bangalore on Saturday.
The Chandigarh golfer’s sublime final round effort helped him total 20-under 196 for the 54-hole event and helped clinch his fourth professional title and a third on the PGTI by a two-stroke margin.
The victory saw 35-year-old Cheema (66-64-66) earn Rs 30 lakh and climb from 28th to 10th on the Order of Merit, the PGTI said.
Mysore’s Pranavi Urs (71-65-72), now a Ladies European Tour regular, was the best finisher among a 12-strong group of lady professionals and she ended in tied 18th place on 8 under 208.
Hitaashee Bakshi lost momentum on Saturday to take a share of 26th place, while Jasmine Shekar and Vidhatri Urs brought in sub-par cards in the closing 18 holes.
Overnight leader Cheema’s gallant effort saw him chase down clubhouse leader Khalin Joshi (65-67-66) of Bangalore, whose 18 under 198 posted in the morning saw him finish second.
Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan (66-65-70) was third on 15 under 201 while Yuvraj Sandhu of Chandigarh was tied for fourth on 12 under 204.
The result took Sandhu from third to the top spot on the PGTI Order of Merit and his earnings for the season now stand at Rs 54,67,300.
Hot round
The swashbuckling Aman Raj of Patna matched the course record of 63 set earlier in the week by Gaurav Pratap Singh and equalled a day later by Adani Open winner Saptak Talwar.
The still-recovering Raj finished in shared sixth place on 11 under 205.
Cheema drove home his overnight one-shot advantage playing in the afternoon’s ProAm session on Saturday though he was rocked by an early bogey.
The lanky golfer though took huge strides forward thereafter picking up three shots on the back nine to close in on clubhouse leader Joshi.
Managing the windy conditions well and making the most of a hot putter, Cheema added a further four birdies on the front nine count including three conversions from between 10 and 20 feet.
He also hit a great approach for a tap-in on the fourth.
A relaxed Cheema later said, “Playing alongside amateurs while competing for the main prize is a challenge and I feel that I handled that well. I was also fortunate to have very cooperative amateurs in my group.
Top woman professional Pranavi Urs receives her purple jacket from Grant Thornton UK CEO Malcolm Gomersall. Image courtesy PGTI.
Clear target
“Playing in the afternoon session, I had a number to aim at as Khalin had set the mark at 18-under after the morning session.
“That helped me plan the round. I putted really well through the week and made some clutch putts today. I felt comfortable after making the birdie putt on the seventh that gave me a two-shot cushion.
“I’ve been playing well this year but that did not reflect in my results. However, I was in good rhythm over the last three events and the momentum kept building coming into this event”, added Cheema whose last win came at the 2024 Vizag Open and ended a 11-year victory drought.
Joshi, third overnight two shots off the lead, finished the morning session as the clubhouse leader with a round of 66 that featured seven birdies and a bogey.
The 32-year-old, an international winner, battled his way into contention with a late haul of birdies and was later rewarded with a Rs 20 lakh haul that took him from 12th to seventh place on the Order of Merit.
Also read: Cheema leads with flawless 64 on day two of KDGT Invitational
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