Vishesh Sharma (far right) receives the Telangana Golconda Masters trophy from (right to left) HGA president Bhaskar Reddy, club captain Jasvinder Singh Birgi, club secretary Vandith Reddy and Amit Maini, GM of The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace in Hyderabad on Friday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Vishesh Sharma held his nerve through a dramatic back nine on the final day for his maiden professional title at the Rs 1 crore Telangana Golconda Masters in Hyderabad on Friday.
The 19-year-old closed with a 1 under par 69 to finish on 21 under 259, one stroke ahead of Noida’s Amardeep Malik in the tournament’s 12th edition at his home Hyderabad Golf Association course, the DP World PGTI said.
Vishesh (60-66-64-69), playing his second season on the DP World PGTI, earned Rs 15 lakh to go from 25th to 14th on the Order of Merit.
He now has Rs 30,93,550 for the season, good enough to seal his berth in the DP World India Championship.
Malik (61-65-68-66) mounted a strong challenge with a closing 4 under 66 but finished runner-up on 20 under 260. His eventful round contained an eagle on the par-five sixth, six birdies, two bogeys and a double.
The 41-year-old earned Rs 10 lakh and moved from 22nd to 19th on the Order of Merit, with season earnings of Rs 27,75,748.
Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (69-69-63-60) matched the course record with the low card of the day, a 10 under 60.
His round featured an eagle, 10 birdies and two bogeys, including four successive birdies from holes three to six.
Akshay’s total of 19 under 261 have him a share of third place alongside Delhi’s Honey Baisoya (64-64-68-65) who made seven birdies and two bogeys on the day.
Firm grip
Baisoya earned Rs 5,49,800 to strengthen his hold on third place in the season rankings with total earnings of Rs 57,21,892.
Vishesh began the day with a four-shot advantage, but his route to victory was far from straightforward as Malik kept chipping away at the difference.
“I’m over the moon. It still hasn’t completely sunk in,” Vishesh said later.
“To claim my first professional title at 19, and to do it at my home course, makes this victory incredibly special.”
The crucial response came after his double bogey on the par-four 13th. With the tournament tightening, Vishesh made consecutive birdies on 14 and 15 to retain his lead.
“The double bogey came down to nerves,” he said.
“I hit one poor shot and then attempted a recovery that wasn’t really available, so I paid the price. But the two birdies that followed helped me hold the lead.”
A long lag putt on 18 allowed Vishesh to complete the victory safely after Malik could not make full use of the leader’s errant approach shot that went into the thick greenside rough.
“The lag putt on 18 was particularly important and helped me finish the job,” the Hyderabad lad said.
Big jump
The title came in Vishesh’s 33rd DP World PGTI start since joining the tour last season. His previous best result was sixth at the Boulders Classic — also at Hyderabad — in April.
Vishesh thanked his parents, sister and coach Sanjay Singh, along with HGA, Boulder Hills, the DP World PGTI staff, the green-keeping team, sponsors and event partners.
He also credited his friends, club members and the home crowd for boosting his morale throughout the final round.
The victory completed a journey that began when Vishesh attended a DP World PGTI event at HGA as a junior in 2021.
“I remember watching many top players that week,” he said.
“To have watched the professionals here as a youngster, then compete on the same course and now win a title is difficult to put into perspective.”
Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (66-67-66-66) finished fifth at 15 under 265, followed by Ajeetesh Sandhu (65-69-67-65) in sixth on 14 under 266.
Last week’s winner, Delhi’s Rashid Khan (68-69-63-67) and Kshitij Naveed Kaul (68-66-65-68) tied for seventh on 13 under 267.
Another ace
Defending champion Jamal Hossain (72-66-72-68) of Bangladesh was tied T30 at 2 under 278. His final round featured a hole-in-one on the par-three third, marking the week’s fourth ace.
In round two, Abhinav Lohan and Anshul Kabthiyal aced the par-three 11th, while Harman Sachdeva recorded his hole-in-one on the par-three seventh.
DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (70-67-61-71) finished 11th by himse;f on 11 under 269 and a Rs 1,84,700 cheque extended his advantage at the top of the rankings with season’s earnings of Rs 89,32,384.
The Race to DP World India Championship is a competition to crown the DP World PGTI’s number one player.
It will also determine the top-24 players from the DP World PGTI Order of Merit who will earn spots at the season-ending DP World India Championship.
Also read: Moving Day sees Vishesh Sharma well ahead at Golconda Masters
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