Q School winner Shubham Narain receives his trophy and cheque from PGTI chief executive Amandeep Johl (left) and Tinplate’s Ujjal Chakraborti. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Shubham Narain put behind the disappointments of the past few seasons with victory on the third playoff hole over amateur Anant Singh Ahlawat at Final Qualifying of the Tata Steel PGTI Q School at Golmuri in Jamshedpur.
Narain, 27, emerged champion on Saturday morning with a par on the third playoff hole as Panchkula-based Ahlawat missed out on his par attempt, the PGTI said.
Delhi’s Narain (71-64-67-66) and Ahlawat (67-64-67-70), went into a playoff on Friday after they were tied on 16 under par 268 at the end of the regulation 72 holes.
Sons of Army officers, the two have had very differing journeys, Narain turning pro while still a teenager in 2017 and Ahlawat still retaining his amateur status.
Both then made pars on the first two playoff holes. As further play was not possible due to fading light on Friday, resumption of play was scheduled for Saturday at 7 am.
In the morning, Narain made a two-on and two-putt for par on the Par-4 13th hole which was used as the third playoff hole, tapping in for the winning putt.
Former All India Amateur champion Ahlawat, 28, on the other hand missed a par putt from eight feet to end his challenge.
Special feeling
Narain, who bagged the winner’s cheque worth INR 75,000, said, “First sealing my full card and now winning a tournament after eight years and that too my first one as a professional is very special.
“I also ended up with my lowest four-day total at an event. This may be just the Q School but a win is a win and that gives me a lot of self-belief going ahead.
“My putting kept the momentum going for me through the week. I was delighted with the way I held my game and my thoughts together despite the added pressure of coming out and playing an extra day.
“In such a situation you generally don’t know what to expect. It was quite unusual because there was hardly anyone on the course when I landed up in the morning.
“The driving range was deserted. It kind of felt like I was heading for practice and that helped me relax and ease into the situation.
“The learnings from the past few seasons have helped me change my approach towards the game. Earlier, I felt I was too hard on myself.
“But I’m more patient now, I don’t keep my expectations too high and give myself more room for error. Hopefully, I can carry forward this form into the season.”
The cut in the final round had gone at 3 under 281 and the top 33 players earned their full cards for the 2025 season.
Also read: Narain, Ahlawat tied at Q School finale, playoff goes into extra day
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