Bhati, Chowhan top IGU Delhi State NCR championship

By Rahul Banerji

Promising talent Arjun Bhati emerged winner in a keen battle for top honours in the IGU Delhi State NCR Junior Boys and Girls Championship played last week at the Jaypee Greens golf course in Greater Noida.

Bhati (295) topped the combined overall and Category B event for boys, edging out Milind Soni (296) on the very last hole of the four-day competition. The result also gave Bhati and Soni the top two places in the combined or overall boys’ competition, ahead of players from the senior group.

Bhati has rounds of 72, 79, 72 and 72 and came into the final day trailing Soni by two shots. He levelled scores on the front nine and the two fought all the way down the back nine with Soni bogeying the 72^nd and final hole, while Bhati converted for par to emerge winner by one stroke.

In the girls events, Kriti Chowhan (229) won the combined and Category A division. She topped the overall competition by three shots from Rishika Muralidhar (232(, and was four strokes ahead of second-placed Smriti Bhargav (233), having led all the way on the final day.

Same stable

Both Bhati and Kriti Chowhan train at the Jaypee IGPN academy, located across the road from the tournament venue, with coach Monish Bindra.

Shaurya Bhattacharya topped the Category A boys event with a four-day aggregate of 298 (79, 72, 76, 71), four up on runner-up Himanshu Nagar’s 302 (80, 75, 73, 74). Arin Ahuja was third.

In the corresponding girls event, Kriti Chowhan (229) and Rishika Muralidhar (232) took the top two places ahead of Sneha Singh (235), while in the Category B competition, Rishika and Hunar Mittal took the top two places with 232 aggregates.

Incidentally, Telengana’s Sneha Singh will be competing in next month Hero Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club, thanks to her win in the 10^th leg of the domestic professional tour in Hyderabad last month which she had entered as an amateur.

Good opportunity

This year, the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI) has ensured direct entries for all the winners of the Hero Womens Pro Golf Tour, giving Sneha an opportunity to mix it up next with professionals from the Ladies European Tour, which co-sanctions the Women’s Indian Open.

In the boys Category C competition, Noida-based Aarav Shah took the honours with a three-day aggregate of 221, three ahead of Parth Raman Sood, while Avni Prashant (228) topped the corresponding girls group ahead of Ananya Garg (244) and Lavanya Gupta (248).

Results:

Boys (combined): 1. Arjun Bhati 295 (72, 79, 72, 72), 2. Milind Soni 296 (71, 75, 75, 75), 3. Shaurya Bhattacharya 298 (79, 72, 76, 71), 4. Himanshu Nagar 302 (80, 75, 73, 74), 5. Arin Ahuja 304 (77, 79, 75, 73).

Girls (combined): 1. Kriti Chowhan 229 (77, 75, 77), 2. Rishika Muralidhar 232 (80, 79, 73), 3. Hunar Mittal 232 (84, 74, 74), 4. Smriti Bhargav 233 (76, 79, 78), 5. Sneha Singh 235 (80, 77, 78).

Boys Category A: 1. Shaurya Bhattacharya 298 (79, 72, 76, 71), 2. Himanshu Nagar 302 (80, 75, 73, 74), 3. Arin Ahuja 304 (77, 79, 75, 73), 4. Bishmad Pal Seehra 305 (73, 77, 83, 72), 5. Hargobind Singh 307 (80, 73, 75, 79).

Boys Category B: 1. Arjun Bhati 295 (72, 79, 72, 72), 2. Milind Soni 296 (71, 75, 75, 75), 3. Anshul Kabthiya 312 (75, 74, 79, 84), 4. Sukhman Singh 313 (79, 76, 80, 78), 5. Manjot Singh 314 (79, 84, 76, 75).

Boys Category C: 1. Aarav Shah 221 (76, 72, 73), 2. Parth Raman Sood 224 (73, 73, 78), 3. Kaushal Karupakula 233 (82, 75, 76), 4. Gurnavjeet Bhatia 234 (82, 76, 76), 5. Vishesh Sharma 238 (80, 77, 81).

Girls Category A: 1. Kriti Chowhan 229 (77, 75, 77), 2. Smriti Bhargav 233 (76, 79, 78), 3. Sneha Singh 235 (80, 77, 78), Heena Kang 235 (82, 78, 85), 5. Hridhika Vora 236 (80, 80, 76).

Girls Category B: 1. Rishika Muralidhar 232 (80, 79, 73), 2. Hunar Mittal 232 (84, 74, 74), 3. Puneet Bajwa 240 (79, 82, 79), 4. Vidhatri Urs 243 (91, 76, 76), 5. Ragini Navet 244 (79, 85, 80).

Girls Category C: 1. Avni Prashant 228 (77, 74, 77), 2. Ananya Garg 244 83, 80, 81), 3. Lavanya Gupta 248 (84, 81, 83), Mannat Brar 248 (79, 89, 80), 5. Saanvi Somu 252 (87, 80, 85).

Also read: Round of 63 gives Arjun Bhati title at Callaway World Jrs in California