Manav Bais wins Pre Quali III as 22 qualify for Final Stage

By Rahul Banerji

Gurgaon-based amateur Manav Bais (72-71) topped Pre Qualifying III for the 2019 PGTI season after finishing the second and final round with a total of one-under-143 at the Kensville course in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

From a total field of 80 in Pre Qualifying III, 22 players go through to the Final Qualifying Stage including five ties for 18^th place when the cut was declared at eight-over-152.

Bais, who was tied third and one off the lead after the first round, had three birdies against two bogeys during his second round of one-under-71 to move into the lead.

Amateur Martendeya Kanishka Sinha from Jammu & Kashmir shot the best round of the Pre Qualifying Stage, a six-under-66, to zoom from overnight tied 32^nd to tied second at even-par-144.

Ludhiana’s Pukhraj Singh Gill fired a second round of 71 to also grab a share of second place along with Sinha.

All the 73 qualifiers from the Pre Qualifying Stage will now join the 50 exempt players in the Final Stage which is scheduled to be held from January 14 to 17 at the Kensville Golf & Country Club.

The 72-hole Final Stage event will feature a field of 123 players.

The top 80 and ties will then make the halfway cut after two rounds. At the end of the Final Stage, the top 41 will earn full cards for the 2019 PGTI season.

Anirban makes Hawaii cut

In Hawaii, Anirban Lahiri returned a second successive two-under par round of 68 but still slipped six places while making the cut at the Sony Open on Friday even as Matt Kuchar took over the lead.

He is now four-under 136 and tied-35^th and 10 shots behind Kuchar of the United States who was 14-under 126 after consecutive rounds of 63 on the first two days.

Lahiri hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation, but a cold putter for the second day meant he would walk off with five birdies against three bogeys.

Kuchar ran off four birdies in five holes to start his second round at the Waialae Country Club.

“To shoot 7 under back-to-back is unexpected, but awfully excited,” he said later. His 14-under total matches the lowest 36-hole score of his PGA Tour career.

‘Challenging course’

“Love the golf course. It’s a challenging one. If you play well you can make birdies; if you don’t you’re going to make bogeys. The golf course gets tough when you’re playing from the rough. Even if you have short clubs in your hand it’s challenging.”

Having ground out 1,667 days and 116 starts till his win at the Mayakoba Golf Classic earlier this season, Kuchar is well poised to make it two wins in three starts for the season.

He is one shot clear of Andrew Putnam (65) and four clear of Stewart Cink (62) and Chez Reavie (65).

Missing out

Eleven-time PGA Tour winner Jordan Spieth had his week cut short even with a 66 in the second round to follow his first round 73. He did make a run but was left to rue the outcome.

“I love the way we fought back there at the end. That was fun. I felt like I was trying to win a golf tournament just to make the cut, which is not really something I want to get used to.

“But early in the season when I started the day 17 shots back, it was something where I could actually feel some pressure and make adjustments, too,” Spieth said later.

“I’ve missed cuts before and gone on and won my next event; I’ve finished runner-up my next event. It’s not like an all-tell. I knew coming in that the game was off and needed to kind of start to fine tune. So I’m in a good space given what happened.

“It’s a learning experience, but I’m tired of learning experiences though.”

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