Tapendra Ghai (centre) receives the Calance Open trophy from Calance Group chairman Amit Govil (right) and DDA vice-chairman Vijay K/ Singh (left). Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Overnight leader Tapendra Ghai clung to his advantage with a tenacious display to end a long wait for his second title at the Rs 1 crore Calance Open at the Qutab Golf Course in New Delhi on Friday.
The Gurgaon golfer shot a closing level par 70 win his second professional event after 2018 with a four-day total of 17 under par 263 (64-67-62-70) by one shot, the PGTI said.
Starting his final round four shots clear, Ghai, 29, balanced three birdies against three bogeys to collect a cheque worth Rs 15 lakh that lifted him from 53rd to 15th on the PGTI Order of Merit.
Arjun Prasad (67-68-67-62) had the low round of day four, an 8 under 62, to rise 10 spots and share second place on 16 under 264 alongside fellow Delhi golfer Honey Baisoya (64-68-65-67).
Prasad earned Rs 7.99 lakh for his second runner-up finish in the last three events and rose from sixth to second on the PGTI Order of Merit.
Prasad’s earnings now total Rs 46,57,749 and with five top 10 finishes far this season, he trails rankings leader Joshua Berry of England by around Rs 7.5 lakh.
Kshitij Naveed Kaul, the Delhi-based professional who hit a course record 60 earlier in the week, brought in a card of 64 on Friday to seal fourth place on 15 under 265.
Dubai-based Yash Majmudar fired a second straight 63 to share fifth position on 14 under 266 along with Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Sandhu (69) and Pukhraj Singh Gill (69) of Ludhiana.
Crucial recovery
Ghai dropped a shot early on Friday but bounced back with birdies on the fourth and seventh holes, sinking a 12-footer on the former. A par-save from 15 feet on the ninth and a chip-in for birdie on hole 11 kept him ahead of the pack led by Prasad.
With the birdies drying up and a second bogey on the card, Ghai kept his nerve and knocked in a crucial par putt from 15 feet on 15.
Ghai, also known as ‘Tapy’, dropped a third bogey on 18 but still managed to close out the tournament with a one-shot margin as Prasad and Baisoya couldn’t catch on the last two holes.
“It was a day when birdies were not easy to come by for me so the par-saves kept me in the game and kept my momentum going,” Ghai said later.
“I sank a couple of 15-footers for pars that gave me the confidence to finish well and get the job done.
“Once on the back nine, I told myself if I play two under for the day, it would be good enough. The chip-in for birdie on 11 was a key moment in the day for me.
Consistent putting
“I had not been putting well coming into this week but I was extremely consistent with the putter through this tournament and was feeling good about my game.
“Just kept on repeating the same routine and tried to make sure I was following the same pattern from start to finish.
“It feels great to win after six years. I would like to thank my coach Ricky Jaswal for all his support and guidance.”
While Prasad made a charge with a bogey-free 62 on the day, Honey Baisoya’s last round featured an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys.
Baisoya emerged as a threat to the leader towards the final stages with his on 16 but narrowly missed a birdie putt on 18 that could’ve taken him into a playoff with Ghai.
Also read: Ghai builds four-shot cushion in round three of Calance Open
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