By Rahul Banerji
Last week, Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain was within sniffing distance of a title win on the Tata Steel PGTI circuit only to falter on the threshold.
On Saturday though, the 38-year-old from Dhaka was not going to be denied, at the Rs 1 crore Ahmedabad Open, the PGTI said.
Playing his final round at the Glade One Golf Resort & Club, Jamal (33-36-69-70) worked his way to a gritty two-under 70 to break a four year long victory-drought.
Jamal, lying overnight third, one shot off the lead, emerged triumphant with an eight-under 208 for the week. It was his fourth PGTI title and a first win on the tour since 2019.
Jamal’s success at Ahmedabad pushed him up 16 spots from 21st to fifth in the Tata Steel PGTI Rankings. Last week he was tied fourth finish at Chandigarh after leading early in the final round.
Noida’s Rashid Khan (34-35-68-72), the round three joint leader, was second on seven-under 209 following as fourth round 72.
Round three co-leader Kshitij Naveed Kaul (33-35-69-73) of Delhi took claimed third place on six-under 210 after shooting a 73 on day four.
Bangalore’s 18-year-old rookie Shaurya Binu (72) was tied fourth on five-under 211 along with Kolkata’s Viraj Madappa, who shot the day’s best of 68 and Delhi’s Kapil Kumar (71).
The first two rounds of the tournament comprised nine holes each and the final two rounds played over 36 holes.
Quick recovery
Jamal began with a bogey but immediately made up for it with a chip-in for eagle from 30 yards on the second.
He then landed his wedges to within a foot on holes five and 11 for tap-in birdies.
Hossain’s bogeys on 13 and 17 couldn’t stop his march to the title as he landed his approach within four feet for another birdie on 15 and made a crucial two-putt for par on 18 to pocket the top prize of Rs. 15 lakh.
Jamal has the distinction of being the first player to win on the PGTI as an amateur when he bagged the Bangladesh Open in 2009. Karandeep Kochhar of Chandigarh later joined this list.
Jamal said, “I played my wedges and chip shots to perfection today. After a bad start, the eagle on the second gave me a lot of confidence. I then just focused on keeping it in play.
“There was some pressure on me going into the last hole when Rashid got within one shot of me.
“However, I was clear in my mind while teeing it up on the last hole. I knew finding the green in two shots and making par with a two-putt could be good enough to win. I executed that plan well.
“I learnt from my mistakes in Chandigarh last week where I was in the lead in the early stages of the final round before I blew away my chances with some poor iron shots.
Long wait
“I’ve waited a long time for this win. I would like to thank my home course Kurmitola Golf Club and the Bangladesh Golf Federation for all their support.
“I would also like to thank my sponsor for the last 14 years for its support. My family and friends have also been a great source of encouragement for me.”
Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan, a contender for most of the final round, mixed three birdies and three bogeys on Saturday.
Rashid made par on the last hole thus missing the opportunity of taking the match into a playoff.
Of the Ahmedabad professionals, Varun Parikh finished tied 16th on level-par 216 while Anshul Patel was T28 on three-over 219.
Noida-based 15-year-old Aarav D. Shah of Australia was the best performing amateur, ending the week in tied 22nd place on two-over 218.
As the PGTI heads into its mid-season break, Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow leads the Tata Steel PGTI Rankings with earnings of Rs. 52,52,650.
Round 4 leaderboard
208: Jamal Hossain (33-36-69-70)
209: Rashid Khan (34-35-68-72)
210: Kshitij Naveed Kaul (33-35-69-73)
211: Viraj Madappa (35-36-72-68); Kapil Kumar (36-36-68-71); Shaurya Binu (34-34-71-72)
Also read: Rashid Khan and Kshitij Kaul share Glade One day three lead
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