India's Harendra Gupta kept his cool under pressure in the decisive moments before and during the play-off, to win the inaugural Golconda Masters golf championship and Rs. 6 lakhs, edging past Delhi’s Shamim Khan at the Hyderabad Golf Club course here on Sunday.
“You cannot think of winning a golfing event till you finish the 18th hole. That is the beauty of this sport — it always gives you a chance to come back into the game,” the 31-year-old Chandigarh golfer said after celebrating his magnificent win in pleasant, overcast conditions.
The play-off was necessitated since Harendra and overnight leader Shamim Khan finished with similar scores of 15-under-265.
It was not the perfect start for Harendra, who had a bogey on the first. “Yes, I was under some pressure; it was a big day. I just told myself that I had to play good golf and then think about winning. Unless you do that, everything else is secondary,” he said.
The Chandigarh golfer, who notched up scores of 67, 65, 66, 67 to clinch the title, showed his class with birdies on the fifth, sixth and seventh, and an eagle on the ninth to draw level with Shamim, who had two birdies till that moment. “Yes, my putting was not up to the mark. But, I must say, Harendra surprised with his stroke-play. He played a fantastic game today,” Shamim said.
Even as Shamim looked on in admiration, Harendra revelled with some excellent chip-putts on the fifth, sixth and seventh, and even sunk an 18-footer on the ninth. “I must tell you that the eagle on the ninth was a huge morale-booster. After that, I told myself I have to make most of this big opportunity,” Harendra said
Chandigarh’s Sujjan Singh and Sri Lankan Anura Rohana were tied for third-place at 10-under-270 while Gaganjeet Bhullar was 15th in final placings with five-under-275.
The top 10 scores:
265: Harendra Gupta (67, 65, 66, 67), Shamim Khan (63, 68, 64,70).
270: Sujjan Singh (67, 71, 66, 66), Anura Rohana (63, 69, 68, 70).
271: K. Prabagaran (62, 69, 72, 68), Manav Jaini (68, 66, 69, 68), Amardip Sinh Malik (69, 61, 69, 72).
272: N. Thangaraja (70, 66, 70, 66), Karan Taunk (65, 66,73, 68).
273: S. Chikkarangappa (68, 65, 69, 71).