Rayhan Thomas receives the Coimbatore Open trophy from KGiSL chairman Prassadh Shanmugam alongside (left to right) PGTI tournament director Sampath Chari, Coimbatore GC president R. Gopinath, and club honorary secretary D. Ravichandran. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Dubai-based Rayhan Thomas announced his arrival in Indian professional golf by clinching victory on PGTI debut at the Rs 1 crore KGiSL presents Coimbatore Open on Saturday.
Thomas shot a solid final round of 4 under par 68 to finish one stroke ahead of Gurgaon’s Manu Gandas, who closed with a 5 under 67 at the Coimbatore Golf Club, the PGTI said.
The 24-year-old Thomas (70-67-69-68), who was one shot off the lead in tied second place overnight, totalled 14 under 274 for the week and become only the second player to win on debut on the PGTI.
Thai golfer Pariya Junhasavasdikul was the first player to achieve the feat when he won the year-end Tour Championship in 2016 in his first PGTI event.
Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (69-65-71-71), who was the leader by one shot after round three, carded a 71 on Saturday to finish third on 12-under 276.
Thomas, playing at Coimbatore for the first time, was two-under through the front nine with three birdies and a bogey that kept him in the race.
Long conversions
Rayhan, who won twice on the MENA Tour while still an amateur and represented India at prestigious events such as the 2018 Asian Games and Asia Pacific Championships, sank a couple of long birdies on the front nine.
Excelling in all departments of his game through the week, Thomas, who turned pro this May, grabbed the lead with three birdies on the way back to the clubhouse.
He faced a few anxious moments on 17 where his ball plugged in the bunker. He played it out over the green from there but got away with a bogey thanks to a great chip and putt that helped him hold on to his lead.
The professional from the Dubai Creek Golf Club finally sealed it with par on hole 18 after finding the green in two shots and making a comfortable two-putt.
Thomas, in only his fourth professional appearance, said, “After sinking that final putt, I just wanted to hug my uncle (Maj. Thomas), who was caddying for me. He had been there for me all week and that meant a lot to me.
Best outing
“It was a really good round today, in fact my best of the week. I had a little scare on the 17th but then did well to salvage the situation by playing a quality chip on that hole to stay ahead and then producing a couple of good shots on the last hole.
“The pressure was off when I knew I could make a two-putt to win on 18.
“I feel playing college golf in the United States helped me prepare well for the professional level. You experience a lot of pressure in US college golf because playing for a team your score means a lot more.
“Growing up in Dubai has also helped a lot as I’ve had access to some of the best golfing facilities there. Coming back to my home country India completes the cycle for me.
“My grit and patience stood out for me this week. There were a lot of birdie chances out there so it was easy to get complacent when you don’t get a birdie.
“But I was happy with how I stayed patient and kept it going. I really enjoyed my first outing at the Coimbatore Golf Club. It’s a magnificent venue.”
Also read: Akshay Sharma retains Coimbatore Open round three lead
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.