By Rahul Banerji
Chandigarh-based rookie Yuvraj Singh Sandhu took a maiden professional win in style at the Tata Steel PGTI Feeder Tour at the Madhuban Meadows golf course in Karnal on Friday.
The 22-year-old, overnight leader by two shots, dominated the final round with a 7-under-55, the tournament’s best score, to also win by a crushing seven-shot margin at 14-under-172.
Sandhu’s success in the third event of the Feeder Tour season lifted him from 10th to second in the Feeder Tour Order of Merit.
Gurgaon’s Kushal Singh (58-63-58) carded a last round of 4-under-58 to take the runner-up spot in Karnal with a 7under 179 aggregate.
The event was played over 16 holes on all three days after two holes were found to be unplayable after heavy rain, the par score being 62.
Smart start
Sandhu (57-60-55), opened with an eagle on the par-5 second hole where his six-iron approach landed six feet from the flag. He picked up another stroke on the par-4 sixth where he drove the green.
He then opened up a big lead with three successive birdies to all but seal the title. Sandhu, with three top-20s on the PGTI’s main tour this year extracted one final birdie on the 16th with a brilliant flop shot over the trees.
Yuvraj said, “I’m delighted to have won my first professional title. This opens up a lot of doors for me. I know I can now take my game to a higher level and be more competitive.
“In the last round, my putter was hot when I needed it to be. However, I would say that I was still not fully satisfied with my putting.
Hard lessons
“The PGTI’s Panchkula event in May was a learning curve for me as I came close to winning there before stumbling on the last day.
“The lessons from that event helped me immensely in today’s final round. This time around my execution was good as I did well to close out the match.
“I’m now keen to contend in the PGTI Emerging Player of the Year race. It will be great to compete for the honour against some of my former India teammates from the amateur level such as Kshitij Naveed Kaul and Priyanshu Singh.”
Runner-up Kushal Singh’s 58 had an eagle and two birdies and gave him his second top-10 and his best finish of the current Feeder Tour season.
Lucknow’s Rishi Kumar carded a third straight 60 to take third place on 6-under-180.
Delhi’s Dhruv Sheoran had a 62 to drop from overnight second to fourth on 5-under-181.
Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane (61) continues to lead the Feeder Tour Order of Merit after he finished eighth on 2-under-184.
Mane has season’s earnings of Rs. 1,55,160 while Sandhu is second with Rs. 1,39,840. Yuvraj took home a cheque of Rs. 1,01,720 from Madhuban Meadows on Friday.
Duke’s Cup qualifier in Bangalore
Meanwhile over a 100 golfers from across the country will tee-off at the Prestige Golfshire in Bangalore on Saturday for a spot at the world finals of the Duke of Edinburgh Cup, to be played at Windsor Castle next month.
The charity event, held in aid of Christel House India, serves as the Indian qualifier of the worldwide charity tournament.
The tournament is a team event with each team comprising of two golfers. The winning team with the best combined net stableford scores will represent India at the Duke of Edinburgh Cup World Final.
They will be up against participants more than 12 countries, including South Africa, the UK, France, Ireland and many more. Golfers Pranay Puri and Chirag Paul will also represent India, having won a separate qualifying event in Delhi earlier this year.
Former Asian gold medalist, Rishi Narain said, “It’s going to be an intense battle amongst a pool of evenly matched golfers. Whoever will be able to hold their nerve will end up on the podium.”
Proceeds raised from the qualifier go to Christel House India, which provides education, healthcare and career planning to thousands of underprivileged children.
Jaison C. Mathew, chief executive of Christel House India, said, “We are very grateful to every person involved in the DOE for their contribution to our cause.
“At Christel House India, our aim is to help children break the cycle of poverty and achieve their dreams. Over the years, this annual golf tournament has been an unwavering pillar of support.”
Also read: Has the Indian Golf Union pushed itself into irrelevance?
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