Haryana Open 2024 winner Varun Parikh plays his way out of the Panchkula Golf Club rough to set up a playoff against overnight leader Rahil Gangjee on Sunday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Varun Parikh edged out Rahil Gangjee in a classic playoff encounter to win the Rs 1 crore Haryana Open at Panchkula Golf Club on Sunday.
Parikh (64-71-67-69) prevailed over Gangjee (63-71-67-70) on the fourth playoff hole to bag his second title after the two had finished regulation on 17 under par 271, the PGTI said.
Twenty-six-year-old Parikh, who calls the Gulmohar Greens Golf Course in Ahmedabad home, earned Rs 15 lakh to climb from 48th to 16th place in the Tata Steel PGTI Rankings.
For the Bangalore-based Gangjee, it was a third runner-up finish of the season after the season-opening Players Championship in Kolkata and the Kolkata Challenge, both in the early half of the season.
In between, Gangjee has won twice on the Asian Development Tour where he tops the Order of Merit ahead of Pakistan’s Ahmed Baig.
Dhruv Sheoran (67) of Gurgaon was third on 16 under 272 while Delhi’s Sachin Baisoya (69), Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (70) and Gurgaon-based Veer Ahlawat (70) shared fourth place on 14 under 274.
Pulling away
Ahlawat also stretched his lead in the ranking as he crossed the Rs 1 crore mark in season’s earnings.
Parikh, who began Sunday one shot behind overnight leader Gangjee, trailed the latter for most part of the fourth round. He had a slow start as he made two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine even as Rahil made a birdie and a bogey to maintain status quo in the standings.
Parikh then made a good recovery from the rough to set up a 20-foot birdie conversion on 10 and added a second birdie on the next hole. Up ahead, Gangjee added three birdies between holes 10 and 13 to keep his nose ahead.
The two went toe-to-toe all day long even as challenges rose and fell, Sheoran and Baisoya shaking things up before falling away again while other potential challengers like Ahlawat and Angad Cheema never really threatened the lead pair.
The tide began to turn in Parikh’s favour when he sank a crucial 30-footer for birdie on 17even as Gangjee flubbed a short chip-on and dropped a shot on the par-3 hole.
The two-shot swing with just the 18th to go drained Gangjee’s momentum and when Parikh made a clutch par putt from 10 feet, it was enough to take the match into a playoff.
Crucial error
Both players made steady pars on the first three playoff holes. On the fourth playoff hole, Gangjee missed a chip-putt from the back edge of the green to drop a bogey while Varun made a comfortable par to come home the champion.
Parikh, who won his last pro title two years back, said, “I was in a good mental space from the start of this week. I was quite calm and relaxed.
“The turning point was the 17th hole where I made a 30-footer for birdie. That gave me much-needed momentum which also helped me make that all-important par putt on the next hole to force the playoff.
“I’m delighted to have finally crossed the line after a two-year gap. In the playoff, I was striking it really well but not making the birdie putts so that was quite frustrating.
“But I told myself to keep fighting and not let go of the intensity. This positive mindset helped me to seal it at the end. My driving and putting stood out through the week.”
Also read: Gangjee back in Haryana Open lead with Parikh giving chase
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