By Rahul Banerji
Udayan Mane sparked his season to life with a two-shot win in the Rs 30 lakh Prometheus School Delhi-NCR Open at the Golden Greens Golf Club on Friday.
The Pune-based golfer, who has been struggling to find his A game since the Tour resumed in November after three wins on the trot, reignited his run on the links-style course near Gurgaon for an 11th PGTI title.
Mane, 30, totalled 14-under-274 for the win but more importantly, stands to benefit in the world rankings thanks to this result.
From a current Official World Golf Rrankings placing of 320, Mane is projected to climb into the 200s and significantly boost his chances in the Tokyo Olympics qualification race.
Delhi’s Rashid Khan is currently India’s top-ranked golfer at 311, Mane second and Gaganjeet Bhullar (324), in action at the Kenya Open, third.
Mane earned five world ranking points on Friday which will make him the highest-ranked Indian when the latest OWGR list is released on Monday.
Shivendra Singh Sisodia, playing on his home course, secured a career-best tied second place on 12-under-276 with a birdie-eagle finish that helped the 31-year-old post a score of 66.
Defending champion Chikkarangappa S. (68) of Bangalore and Patna’s Aman Raj (69) also took a share of second place.
Chandigarh’s Karandeep Kochhar (67) was fifth on 11-under-277 to maintain his lead in the PGTI Order of Merit.
Day’s best
Sandeep Singh of Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, shot the day’s best round of seven-under-65 to finish tied ninth on 8-under-280.
Mane (71-67-67-69), overnight leader by one shot, made a hot start with two birdies on the first three holes.
He then made some good putts which didn’t roll in but still hung on to the lead.
On the closing 18th, Mane sank a crucial 10-feet birdie putt to seal the deal even as playing partner Aman Raj missed an eagle putt from the same distance.
Mane said later, “My game-plan today was to go bogey-free, put the ball on the fairway and the green and take my two-putt.
“I was focused on a hot start which I got. Putts didn’t roll in thereafter but I decided not to let the frustration creep in.
“On 18, Aman’s eagle putt and my birdie putt were almost the same distance so we had to call in the referee to measure distance from pin in order to decide who putts first.
“My putt was a little longer so I went first. That kind of helped me as there was lesser pressure.
“I was aware that I needed a par or better and that’s why I played a little conservatively.
“My tee shot was a long one so it made sense for me to go for the green instead of laying up. I went for it and made a great up and down for birdie.
Tight race
“The win couldn’t have come at a better time for me as the race for the Olympics is quite intense at the moment with Gaganjeet, Rashid, Chikka, Karandeep and Aman Raj, all being strong contenders.
“I still have some time to get back to where my game was at the start of the season last year. But the work I’ve put in is now paying off.
“I’m definitely on the right track. My tee shots and putting stood out this week. I also gave myself a lot of birdie chances.
“I would like to dedicate this win to my grandfather who passed away last month.”
Sisodia (71-71-68-66), known for driving it long, was exceptional with his iron-play and approach shots on Friday.
Overnight tied eighth and five off the lead, Sisodia had three birdies in the first 12 holes before signing off with a birdie-eagle sequence.
On 18, Sisodia drove 375 yards and followed up with a five-iron approach that landed within three feet to set up his eagle. He improved on a previous best PGTI finish of tied sixth in Chandigarh in 2018.
Shivendra, who jumped from 75 to 46 in the Order of Merit, said later, “My driving was outstanding through the week as I landed it over 350 yards on about 10 occasions.
“Today I struck it over 300 yards at least four times. I checked my ball carry distance before the event and it was around 296 yards.
“That gave me a lot of confidence. I also enjoyed the advantage of playing in my home conditions especially while hitting it off the tee.
Solid striking
“My approaches were equally good today and I missed just one green. I can attribute my solid round to my ball-striking because I missed a lot of putts today.
“I changed my irons at the start of the year and that change has suited me.
“On 16, I saw the leaderboard for the first time today and felt I had a chance to get close to the leader. Thereafter, I played quite aggressively and got the reward for it.”
Chikkarangappa (70-65-73-68) mixed six birdies with two bogeys for his 68 and got within a shot of the lead at one stage.
Chikka’s joint runner-up finish kept him in second position in the PGTI Order of Merit. He is also set to make decent progress in the world ranking from his current 352nd position.
Aman Raj (72-66-69-69) was bogey-free in round four. His last hole birdie lifted him to tied second and from eighth to fifth in the Order of Merit.
Noida’s Gaurav Pratap Singh, who was overnight second and one off the lead, ended in sixth on 10-under-278 with a level par 72.
Delhi-based rookie Kartik Sharma (69) took tied seventh place along with Lucknow’s Sanjeev Kumar (69) on 9-under-279.
Also read: Late charge carries Mane into Delhi-NCR Open lead
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