Gulfam tops PGTI Pre Qualifying III as 28 enter Final Stage

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Gulfam Pappan
Delhi’s Gulfam Pappan topped Pre Qualifying III for the 2020 season ahead of next week’s final stage at Ahmedabad. Image courtesy PGTI.

By Rahul Banerji

Delhi’s Gulfam Pappan (74-68) won the PGTI’s Pre Qualifying III for the 2020 season after finishing the second and final round with a total of 2-under-142 at the Kensville Golf & Country Club near Ahmedabad on Saturday.

From a total field of 85 in Pre Qualifying III, 28 players go through to the Final Qualifying Stage with five finishing in tied 24th place when the cut was declared at 9-over-153.

Gulfam, tied fourth and two shots off the lead after Friday’s first round, hit six birdies against two bogeys during his second round of 4-under-68 to take the lead.

Amateur Mohd Azhar of Hyderabad shot a 69 to finish second on level-par-144, a gain of six spots from his overnight tied eighth.

Blazing run

Mohd Azhar
Hyderabad amateur Mohammad Azhar had a memorable front nine at Kensville on Saturday with a hole in one besides five birdies. Image courtesy PGTI.

Azhar had a sensational front nine as he fired a hole-in-one on the fifth and sank birdies on the first, second, third, sixth and seventh to be seven-under through the first seven holes.

He however, conceded four shots on the back-nine with two bogeys and a double.

Patna’s Md Islam and Delhi-based amateur Harshjeet Singh Sethie finished tied third on 1-over-145s.

Round one leader Khandaker Rahat Tahsin Parash (76) of Bangladesh slipped to tied fifth at 4-over-148 along with Ludhiana’s Viren Thapar and Delhi-based amateur Md Wasil.

Final stage

All the 82 qualifiers from the Pre Qualifying Stage will now join the 46 exempt in the Final Stage which is scheduled from January 14 to 17 at Kensville. The 72-hole Final Stage event will feature a field of 128 players.

The top 80 and ties will make the halfway cut after two rounds of the Final Stage. In all, the top 38 players will earn full cards for the 2020 Tata Steel PGTI season.

On Friday, Parash fired an even-par-72  with two birdies and two bogeys to lead the field by one shot.

Islam and Gurgaon-based Manav Bais were in tied second on 1-over-73.

Dilip Tirkey
File photo of India’s most capped hockey international and former captain Dilip Tirkey, who played the first round at Kensville in a respectable 18-over par 90. Image courtesy PGTI.

Former India hockey captain and three-time Olympian Dilip Tirkey also competing in Pre Qualifying III and shot an 18-over-90 to be tied 69th. He however, withdrew ahead of Saturday’s round.

Also read: Chauhan, Sinha top PGTI Pre Qualifying II as 26 enter final stage

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