Rookie Sandhu edges Wasim Khan in Wishtown nail-biter

By Rahul Banerji

Chandigarh-based rookie Yuvraj Singh Sandhu registered a nail-biting playoff victory against Delhi’s Wasim Khan in the Rs 8 lakh Tata Steel PGTI Feeder Tour event at Jaypee Greens Wishtown in Noida on Thursday.

Sandhu’s second win of the Feeder Tour season extended his lead in the Order of Merit with just one event remaining in the season.

Sandhu (62-63-60) matched the tournament’s best score of 7-under-60 in the third round to finish on 16-under-185 in regulation play. Sandhu, 22, then prevailed over Wasim Khan (62-61-62) in a tense playoff that was decided on the third extra hole.

Wasim, who also totaled 16-under-185 for the week, got into the playoff with an eagle-birdie finish on the last two holes of regulation play for a round of 5-under-62.

In a three-way tie for third place at 14-under-187 were Delhi’s Manav Jaini (63), Gurgaon’s Abhishek Kuhar (63) and Noida’s Gaurav Pratap Singh (64).

Slow start

Sandhu, lying fifth and two off the lead after the second round, made a slow but steady start in round three with a couple of birdies on the front nine while also missing a few opportunities on the greens.

But Yuvraj, who had earlier won the season’s third Feeder Tour event in Karnal, began his charge with consecutive birdies on the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th. He tapped-in on the 11^th thanks to a good wedge shot, produced a brilliant 2-iron tee shot on the par-3 12^th to set up a six-footer and then chipped-in on the 13^th.

Another good tee shot on the par-3 16^th followed by a fabulous bunker shot on the 17^th earned Sandhu two more birdies before he closed the round with a tricky par-save on the 18^th.

Wasim, the joint round two leader, emerged as a strong contender after he was three-under through the first 11 holes. However, he found the water on the 13^th and dropped a stroke.

He then staged a remarkable comeback to take the match into a playoff as he sank a 12-foot eagle putt on the 17^th and followed up with a huge 30-foot birdie putt on the 18^th.

Deadlock

In the playoff held on the par-4 18^th hole, the deadlock continued on the first two holes. Finally, victory came Yuvraj’s way on the third occasion where he played an outstanding bunker shot to save par while Wasim stumbled with a poor second shot from the centre of the fairway that found the water hazard and dashed his title hopes.

Yuvraj said, “I stuck to my pre-shot routine and my yardage book through the week. I got it going on the back nine today with those three successive birdies.

“I played my shot of the day on the 12^th, my 2-iron tee shot which ended up six feet from the hole. I’m also very proud of my bunker shot on the third playoff hole that proved to be decisive. It was a very tough shot with the trees in front and the water in play. I struck it perfectly.

‘Good progress’

“It’s been a good season so far. I’m happy with the way I’m progressing, slow and steady. The off-season grind and the little sacrifices that I’ve made to improve my game are paying off. I enjoy being on the professional circuit and now I feel that I belong here.

“I enjoyed this course a lot as it is quite different from all the other courses that I’ve played as a professional. It is a short, tricky course and is a good test of wedge-play,” added Sandhu, who bagged a winning cheque worth Rs. 1,01,720.

Yuvraj has now taken his season’s earnings to Rs. 2,82,480 thus stretching his lead in the Feeder Tour Order of Merit to almost Rs. 1 lakh over second-placed Anil Bajrang Mane of Mumbai who has season’s earnings of Rs. 1,82,515.

The sixth and last event of the season remains to be played in Lucknow in the first week of October. The 2019 Feeder Tour Order of Merit champion will get an exemption for the PGTI main tour next year.

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