Kshitij Naveed Kaul receives his winner’s trophy from Zion Hills Golf County MD George Menomparampil (left) and Tour CEO Amandeep Johl on Friday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Delhi’s Kshitij Naveed Kaul snatched victory with a late flourish at the Rs 1 crore Kolar Open powered by Zion Hills on Friday.
Kaul (74-69-71-65), fifth overnight six shots off the lead, staged a stunning charge over the final 18 holes with a tournament low of 7 under par 65, the PGTI said.
Kaul’s run was highlighted by three birdies and an eagle on the last four holes that took his total to 9 under 279 and gave him a two-shot victory despite wind speeds inn excess of 30 kmh.
It was the 24-year-old’s fifth professional win and the day’s Rs 15 lakh cheque cheque pushed him five places to eighth on the PGTI Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs 48,00,847.
Shaurya Bhattacharya (70-72-66-73), another Delhi-based professional and overnight leader by three shots, posted a closing 73 to finish runner-up at 7 under 281.
He climbed four spots to sixth in the PGTI Order of Merit.
Gurgaon’s Dhruv Sheoran (67) signed off in third place on 4 under 284.
Slipping away
Pune’s Udayan Mane, who set the course record of 67 in round two, carded a 74 in the fourth round to close the week in tied fourth at 3 under 285.
Honey Baisoya (72) of the DLF Golf & Country Club was alongside Mane in fourth place.
Nepal’s Subash Tamang, playing at his home course this week, finished sixth at 2 under 286.
Kaul made his intentions clear early with some fabulous drives and wedge play to pick up four shots on the first six holes.
He endured a tough stretch with three straight bogeys from seven to the ninth as a result of finding water once and missing a couple of short putts.
After draining a birdie on 10, Kaul, who last won in November 2024 came up with a dream finish.
He sank a couple of long birdie putts on 15 and 16 and followed up with a chip-in for birdie on 17 and a mammoth 30-foot eagle conversion on 18.
With his putter running hot, Kaul turned the tables on Bhattacharya, the leader for most part of the day, right at the end.
With the preferred lie rule in play, Kaul’s 65 did not count as a course record.
Staying patient
“I stayed patient all day and focused on hitting quality shots. All aspects of my game were sharp this week especially the driving and putting,” Kaul said later.
“All the work done in the off season seems to have paid off. It’s nice to win in tough conditions such as these. It makes the win all that more satisfying.
“In the final stretch, I was just trying to hit one good shot after another. The winds made it very challenging to control the distance and dispersion of the ball.
“But I knew if I kept producing good shots, I would finally come through.”
Bhattacharya made three birdies and three bogeys on the front nine to maintain his lead.
However, he stumbled with three bogeys between 11 and 15 after which he couldn’t recover despite two birdies on the last three holes.
Also read: Bhattacharya eases to three-shot lead at inaugural Kolar Open
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.