By Rahul Banerji
In a season records are falling by the wayside, Manu Gandas added his name to the list at the Rs 1 crore Vooty Masters in Vikarabad near Hyderabad on Sunday.
The Gurgaon golfer sealed a convincing four-shot win with a nerveless final round of six-under 66 at the inaugural Dream Valley Group presented event.
Leading by a shot overnight, Gandas (63-68-67-66) brought in a tournament total of 24-under 264 for the week to register his fifth win of 2022 and thus match the PGTI record for most wins in a season.
He joins Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (2022), Gaganjeet Bhullar (2009) and Ashok Kumar (2006-07) on a very short list.
In the process, Gandas also matched the PGTI record for the lowest winning total (24-under 264) held jointly so far by Anirban Lahiri, Rashid Khan and Akshay Sharma.
Gandas took home a cheque worth Rs. 15 lakh to consolidate second place in the Tata Steel PGTI rankings as his earnings for the season moved to Rs. 65,78,938.
Om Prakash Chouhan (66-63-73-66) of Mhow finished runner-up at 20-under 268 following a final round of 66.
Delhi’s Shamim Khan shot a fine 64 on Sunday to secure third place at 16-under 272.
Late charge
Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Sandhu stayed atop the Order of Merit thanks to a sensational nine-under 63 on the day to match the course record set previously in the week by Gandas and Chouhan.
Sandhu gained 25 spots to finish fourth on 14-under 274 which took his season’s earnings to Rs. 67,39,568.
Gandas had a mixed start to his round with birdie-bogey on the first two holes.
But the 26-year-old began to find his groove with birdies on the third and fifth, a terrific approach shot and an accurate chip leaving him with tap-in putts.
Gandas then sank birdie putts from between seven and 10 feet on the eighth and ninth to lead by five shots at the turn Chouhan.
A poor approach shot by the six-time PGTI winner and a missed short putt led to a double bogey.
The three-shot swing meant that Chouhan was within two shots of the leaser but Gandas resurrected his round with two birdies thanks to some sharp chipping and putting.
Sealing the deal
The winner then saw it home in style with birdies on the last two holes including a monster 45-feet conversion on 18.
Gandas said later, “I took it one shot at a time and stayed in the present. I had a bad start on the back nine but was steady thereafter and set up a lot of birdie opportunities for myself.
“Overall, it was a solid round barring a couple of mistakes.
“I tend to get a bit aggressive as the round progresses but I managed to keep that tendency in check. I kept my composure well.
“I’m quite pleased with the records added to my name but my focus is more on taking my game to the next level. This win gives me the momentum for the final two events of the season.
“It was an amazing experience playing here at the world-class Vooty Golf County for the first time. The course conditions were immaculate.”
Chouhan made six birdies on a day he went error-free while Shamim Khan made nine birdies and a bogey during his outstanding 64.
Yuvraj Sandhu’s extraordinary 63 featured an eagle, eight birdies and a bogey.
The Chandigarh duo of Abhijit Singh Chadha (65) and Angad Cheema (76) were tied for fifth place on 13-under 275.
Fifteen-year-old Noida-based amateur Aarav D. Shah took the trophy for the best performing amateur after he ended the week in tied 34th place.
Also read: Gandas regains Vooty Masters advantage with Cheema close by
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