Quim Vidal (second from left) of Spain receives his winner’s cheque from (left to right) Rishi Mattu, head, Classic Golf & Country Club, HotelPlanner Tour tournament director Ed Johnson and PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Spain’s Quim Vidal prevailed in a cliffhanger playoff against Englishman Joshua Berry to win the $300,000 Delhi Challenge at the Classic Golf & Country Club near Gurgaon on Sunday.
Vidal and Berry finished atop the HotelPlanner Tour and PGTI joint sanctioned event tied on 18 under par 270 after the regulation 72 holes.
It then needed three playoff holes to decide the champion, Vidal sinking a 20-foot birdie putt after Berry had missed his chance, the PGTI said.
Vidal (65-68-66-71) and Berry (69-66-67-68), winner at the Kolkata Challenge last week, had contrasting final rounds with the English teenager making a late run to the top of the leaderboard.
Vidal made a bogey on the front nine but balanced that with a crucial 30-foot eagle putt on 18 to register a steady 71 while Berry mixed six birdies with two bogeys for his closing 68.
Arjun Prasad (68-68-70-67) made six birdies and a bogey on Sunday to gain four places and finish as the best-placed Indian in a share of sixth position on 15 under 273.
The other Indians in the top 20 were Rashid Khan (66, T11) on 13 under 275, and Harshjeet Singh Sethie (69) and Kshitij Naveed Kaul (72) both of whom finished tied for 15th on 12 under 276.
Late charge
The 25-year-old Vidal led by three shots at the start of the day and posted a rock-solid 71 but Berry rallied with two closing birdies to draw level in regulation play.
Both birdied the first two extra holes before Vidal closed out victory with his brilliant putt.
Vidal, who recovered from a slow start in his final round before picking up his maiden HotelPlanner Tour victory, said, “I wasn’t expecting this after a tough day, and I’m lost for words right now. The play-off was so tough, and I didn’t know how it was going to end.
“I knew I had to make an eagle to get in the play-off and I was so focussed on making that putt. It was probably the only long putt I made all day, and it was special.”
Prasad sank a couple of 12-footers for birdies on the third and fifth holes. He then stumbled with a bogey on eight to make the turn at one-under for the day.
A great approach on 12 and a quality up and down on 14 saw him push ahead with two more birdies. Prasad finally nailed birdies on 16 and 18 to end the week on a solid note.
Solid display
“I put together four solid rounds so I’m quite happy about this week’s performance,” Prasad said.
“With tough pin positions in place, putting proved to be the decisive factor in round four. I’m glad that I converted my chances on the greens.
“It was a great experience playing alongside some top-notch talent from the HotelPlanner Tour.
“The partnership between the HotelPlanner Tour and PGTI is a big positive for Indian golf as it provides us valuable international exposure and goes a long way in helping hone our skills.”
Rashid Khan’s flawless 66 was the joint best round among the Indians on the final day and helped him climb from T28 overnight into a share of 11th place.
Khan, who hit every green in regulation on the day, left himself two birdie tap-ins and also sank a couple of birdies from a range of 15 to 25 feet.
Rashid said, “After a long time, I really enjoyed playing a round. I worked on one aspect of my putting after round one and sorted a couple of things out.
“That saw a marked improvement in my putting over the last three days.”
Also read: Spain’s Vidal hits the front at Delhi Challenger, Kaul is up to T6
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