Rashid Khan (centre) receives his Telangana Open trophy and winner’s cheque from DP World PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl (left) and Vooty Golf County GM Rupinder Gill at Vikarabad on Friday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Rashid Khan ended a seven-year wait for victory with the Rs 1 crore Telangana Open title by three strokes at Vooty Golf County in Vikarabad near Hyderabad on Friday.
The 35-year-old Delhi golfer finished on 23 under par 265 to secure his 15th professional title and 11th on the domestic tour, closing with 5 under par 67 to set up a three-stroke win, the DP World PGTI said.
Rashid, who had earlier rounds of 66, 67 and 65 earned Rs 15 lakh and moved up to sixth on the 2026 Order of Merit, taking his season earnings to Rs 44,95,509.
Fellow Delhi golfer Honey Baisoya (72-65-66-65) produced the best final day score among the leading contenders, making nine birdies and two bogeys in his 65 to finish runner-up on 20 under 268.
Baisoya, winner of the DP World Players Championship at Qutab Golf Course in February, earned Rs 10 lakh and now occupies third place in the rankings with total earnings of Rs 51,72,092.
Gurgaon’s Veer Ahlawat, the 2024 DP World PGTI Rankings champion, also closed with a 65 to share third place at 19 under 269 with overnight leader Angad Cheema (70-61-65-73).
Rashid’s last victory came at the PGTI Players Championship presented by Chandigarh Golf Club in May 2019.
Hard times
After enduring a difficult seven-year spell, the two-time Asian Tour winner and three-time PGTI Order of Merit champion described his return to the winner’s circle as an emotional moment.
“I can’t describe how I’m feeling right now,” said Rashid. “It has been seven years since my last win, and I struggled a lot with my game during that period.
“I went through many ups and downs, but also learned a great deal. Once you come through a phase like that, you understand what you need to do.”
Rashid began the final round two shots behind Cheema and endured a rocky start with bogeys on the opening two holes.
The response was emphatic with birdies on holes three, four and five before another birdie on eight put him in control.
“I got off to a really poor start,” Rashid said. “I made bogey on the opening par five, and the second was playing extremely tough—about 240 yards with a left-to-right wind.
“Even after starting bogey-bogey, I knew that if I stuck to my game plan and continued giving myself birdie opportunities, I could recover.
Key points
“The birdies on the third, fourth and fifth were important turning points.”
Cheema, meanwhile, dropped three shots on the front nine, a momentum shift that allowed Rashid to take a three-shot advantage into the turn.
“The birdie on eight gave me a lead of two or three shots,” he said. “From there, my focus was simply on creating birdie chances. There were scoring opportunities on the back nine, and I started that stretch very well.”
Rashid tightened his grip on the tournament with consecutive birdies from 10 through to 12. After pars on the next two holes, he produced what he considered the decisive putt on 15.
“I had a 12- or 13-foot putt for par, while Angad was inside 10 feet for birdie,” Rashid said. “That proved to be the turning point.”
Cheema managed two birdies after the turn, but his 1 over 73 dropped him into a share of third place, four strokes behind Rashid.
Windy conditions added to the challenge during the closing stretch, but Rashid remained composed. Despite the intensity of the title battle, he enjoyed sharing the final group with Cheema and Jairaj Singh Sandhu.
Lighter moments
“I’ve known Angad and Jairaj for a long time, and we had a lot of fun out there,” he said.
Rashid also praised the condition of the course, calling the final tee shot a particularly stern test.
“The 17th was manageable, but the tee shot on the 18th was one of the toughest I have ever faced,” he said.
Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (72-68-71-70) tied for 24th at 7 under 281 to earn Rs 1,14,450 and extend his advantage at the top with season’s earnings of Rs 87,47,684.
The Race to DP World India Championship will crown the Tour’s top player and will also determine the top 24 players on the Order of Merit who will earn spots at the season-ending DP World India Championship in October.
Also read: Cheema maintains Vooty County lead with Rashid on his heels
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