Shankar Das receives the Golconda Masters trophy from Telangana minister Jupally Krishna Rao at the Hyderabad Golf Association course on Sunday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Shankar Das turned up the heat with a front-nine birdie spree to score a spectacular three-shot win at the Rs 1 crore Telangana Golconda Masters at the Hyderabad Golf Association course on Sunday.
The Kolkata golfer’s closing 6 under par 64 stunned the field and earned the 2014 merit list topper a first title in seven years, the PGTI said.
Tied for third overnight two strokes off the lead, Das pulled a rabbit out of the hat with a fiery last round that helped seal his eighth professional title in all.
Das (70-64-64-64) went 53 holes without a bogey during the week to total 18 under 262 for the tournament. He took home a cheque worth Rs 15 lakh to climb from 42nd place to 14th in the 2024 Tata Steel PGTI Ranking.
Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (68-63-65-69), joint overnight leader by two shots, finished second on 15-under 265 following a fourth round 69.
It was Cheema’s sixth top-10 and second runner-up finish of the season and he has consolidated his fourth place on the merit list.
Order of Merit leader Veer Ahlawat’s third-place finish on 14 under 266 meant the Gurgaon golfer has now increased his lead in the standings.
Late blitz
At the top, Das registered one of the most memorable come-from-behind victories of his career as he was a lowly tied 67th after an opening round of 70.
Das then made major strides in each round as he delivered three successive 64s. His last round was built around seven birdies on the front nine from two tap-ins, three more putts within six feet and two 20-foot conversions.
All aspects of his game came together on the front nine especially his wedge-play. Das then all but sealed the issue with an eight-foot birdie conversion on hole 13. A commanding lead of five shots meant bogeys on 16 and 18 did not play spoilers.
Shankar said, “It was an incredible day for me and I knew that such a round was just around the corner as I had been practicing very hard of late and all parts of my game were trending well. My driving and chipping was exceptional today.
Free mind
“I have been playing with a free mind this season because I have fully recovered from my back injury that hampered my game for the last few years. My wife also had some health issues in the past. But now she has recovered too.
“So, I was finally playing without the burden of having to worry about all these things. That really helped my game. I would like to thank my new caddie Debashish who has been a great support to me this week,” added the emotional Shankar.
Cheema couldn’t keep pace with Das on day four as three bogeys and a double-bogey negated his eagle and four birdies.
Delhi’s Shamim Khan produced a hole-in-one on the ninth hole during his final round of 62, the day’s lowest score. Shamim shared 10th place on 10-under 270 along with overnight joint leader N. Thangaraja (74) of Sri Lanka.
Hyderabad-based professional Mohd Azhar (72) ended tied 29th on 5 under 275.
Also read: Cheema cashes in on Moving Day, climbs into joint lead at HGA
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.