Hyderabad washout hands Jamal Hossain Golconda Masters title

Golconda Masters winner Jamal Hossain (second from right) receives his trophy and cheque from Telangana tourism and culture minister Jupally Krishna Rao at the HGA course in Hyderabad on Friday. Image courtesy PGTI.

By Rahul Banerji

Jamal Hossain was declared winner of the Telangana Golconda Masters after the final round was abandoned because of heavy rain in Hyderabad on Friday.

The tournament was decided on the 54-hole scores as no play was possible in the fourth round due to the inclement weather, the PGTI said.

For Hossain (61-62-64), who led the field by four shots after round three on 23 under par 187, it was a sixth PGTI title and the first since November last year. 

The 40-year-old from Dhaka collected a purse of Rs 15 lakh that lifted him from 14^th to 10^th place on the PGTI Order of Merit.

Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (62-64-65) finished second on 19 under 291 and collected Rs 10 lakh that took him from 34^th place to 21^st on the merit list.

Khalin Joshi (65-66-66) of Bangalore was third on 13 under 197.

Holding position

Sixth place for Delhi’s Arjun Prasad on 11 under 199 kept him second on the merit list with season’s earnings of Rs 69,71,599.

Chandigarh golfer Yuvraj Sandhu, who was playing on the Asian Tour maintains his lead on the money list with Rs 88,67,200.

Hyderabad’s Vishesh Sharma had the best result among the local golfers with a share of 22^nd place on 5vunder 205.

Hossain dominated all three rounds and led from start to finish. He was ahead by one after the first round thanks to a tournament low of 61.

Lone blemish

He extended his lead to three shots at the halfway stage with a 62 and then stretched his lead to four shots after his 64 in round three. He dropped just one bogey over 54 holes.

“I’m elated to have finally won this season after having come close on a couple of occasions,” Hossain said later. 

“I would’ve loved to come out and play the final round but the weather is not in our hands. However, I feel I was quite consistent through the week thanks to my driving and putting. 

“The first round of 61 just set up the tournament for me.

“My next big goal is to perform well and make a mark in the DP World India Championship in Delhi next month. I feel my form is building up well leading into that event.”

Also read: Dominant Hossain widens Golconda Masters lead on Moving Day