Sri Lanka’s K. Prabagaran reserved his best for the last. He chipped well when it mattered most to edge out a fighting Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow in the play-off to clinch his maiden professional title in the PGTI Players’ Championship at the par-72 Coimbatore Golf Club (CGC) course on Saturday.
“It feels good winning my maiden title. I knew I had the chance to hit the top and, thankfully, everything worked well for me today,” said Prabagaran. “The course is not new to me neither are the people here. I had won the all-India championship in 2007 and have always enjoyed great support from the club and the crowd,” he added.
The 33-year-old from Nuwara Eliya, who was sponsored by CGC as an amateur, carded a four-under 68 for the day. It was his best score of the week and helped him climb from a tied sixth place to the top slot.
Chouhan, on the other hand, fired a three-under 69. The duo finished with matching scores of nine-under 279 at the end of 72 holes and headed for the play-off. The first play-off failed to yield any result. Chouhan recovered from the bunker for a par while Prabagaran did likewise with an up and down from 60 yards. In the second, Prabagaran rolled in a one foot par putt for the title, while Chouhan failed to salvage a par from the bunker.
“To be frank, I was under some pressure playing the 18 holes but relaxed during the play-off,” said Prabagaran, who shot five birdies and a bogey.
Chouhan’s journey contained four birdies and a bogey. The two-time winner on the PGTI, in fact, missed an eight-foot birdie putt for victory on the 18th.
Defending champion Rashid Khan from Delhi and Mukesh Kumar of Mhow finished tied third at eight-under 280. The latter was in the lead for a brief period before a double bogey on the 13th dented his chances.
The scores: 279 K. Prabagaran (70, 70, 71, 68) & Om Prakash Chouhan (68, 68, 74, 69); 280 Rashid Khan (69, 71, 73, 67) & Mukesh Kumar (69, 71, 71, 69); 281 Feroze Ali Mollah (72, 66, 71, 72) & Amardip Sinh Malik (70, 68, 69, 74).
