By Rahul Banerji
It took him four years, but Karandeep Kochhar made sure he would take home his first professional title with a solid final round at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Thursday.
The 21-year-old, who has won previously on the PGTI but as an amateur back in 2016 at age 17, finally sealed his maiden title at the Tata Steel PGTI Players Championship on his home course.
In between, there have been any number of top-5s and top-10s, including most recently second place at the Players’ event in Panchkula last week.
Kochhar, who led the field from round two, ended up with a tournament total of 18-under-270 to finish two shots ahead of the rest at the Rs. 30 lakh event, the PGTI’s media office said.
With winnings of Rs. 4,84,950, he climbs from seventh to second place on the PGTI Order of Merit while Pune-based Udayan Mane continues to lead the list.
Course record
Twenty-six-year-old Sunit Chowrasia of Kolkata, nephew of Indian golfing great S.S.P. Chawrasia, grabbed his share of the limelight with a course record-shattering round of 10-under-62 to finish second at 16-under-272.
Kochhar (66-68-67-69), overnight leader by four shots, held his nerve on the final day even as Chowrasia mounted his charge.
The local lad collected birdies on the first two holes to build on his lead before missing a couple of further birdie opportunities, and also dropping only his second shot of the week.
With two holes to go, Kochhar realised he was in a tie for first place with Chowrasia having finished his round with a 16-under total.
Those years of nearly winning held the young man in good stead as he proceeded to nock in a pair of birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to virtually put the winner’s issue beyond doubt.
The first came from a short chip-in, and the second with a 20-foot putt from the fringe of the green.
Long wait ends
“I’ve waited a long time for this win,” Kochhar said later.
“I’ve come close several times in the past and had many top-10 and top-5 finishes over the past three years. So it’s a big relief to finally cross the line and that too at my home course.
“I got the perfect start and then had a nervy phase between the ninth and the 15th. However, I kept my calm and stuck to my task.
“On the 16th tee I found out Sunit’s score and knew I had to make a birdie thereafter.
“I managed to do that and the 20-foot birdie conversion on the 17th was crucial as it gave me a two-shot cushion and helped me avoid pressure on the last hole.
“I made just two bogeys during the tournament. So it’s been quite a satisfying performance,” added Karandeep, who is likely to make big gains in the world ranking from his current 586th place.
Flying start
Chowrasia (69-69-72-62), 14th overnight and nine shots off the lead, made a blazing start with birdies on his first three holes.
More followed on the eighth and ninth as the Kolkata golfer made the turn on 5-under for the day.
Chowrasia, who turned professional in 2018, dropped a shot on the 10th but came back with birdies on the 11th, 13th and 14th where he sank a 15-footer, made a tough chip-putt and drained a 30-footer respectively.
The soft-spoken Sunit, who has a striking resemblance to his famous uncle, then had another birdie blitz over the last three holes that not only took him into a tie for the lead, but also gave him the course record.
He bettered the previous best round of 64 jointly held by defending champion Rashid Khan, Sudhir Sharma and Abhijit Singh Chadha.
Thursday’s finish was Chowrasia’s best on the PGTI.
“I didn’t have very high expectations at the start of the day but the start was terrific and the birdies just kept coming all day,” Chowrasia said.
“I was in great rhythm throughout. My short game was excellent and my putter was on fire.
“On the 14th I had a 30-footer where I thought I’ll make a two-putt for par but it found the hole for a birdie to my delight.
“I wasn’t putting well till last week. But fellow Kolkata professional Divyanshu Bajaj who was staying with me helped with my alignment and posture. That made a huge difference to my game.
“I also keep talking to my uncle and his advice is always helpful. I maintain a diary and note down all the points relating to my game. That has helped me figure out and rectify things in my game over the past few years.”
Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (69), last week’s winner, took third place at 14-under-274.
Chandigarh golfer Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (67) and Gurgaon’s Veer Ahlawat (70) were tied for fourth on 13-under-275.
Also read: Sharma goes wire-to-wire to equal event-winning record
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