Jaypee Greens, Greater Noida, 17-02-2013
Silverglades Delhi trounce DLF Gurgaon in Louis Philippe Cup final
Navratna Ahmedabad finish third
The Silverglades Delhi team comprising of Himmat Singh Rai, Shamim Khan and Rashid Khan, put up a resilient performance to trounce the DLF Gurgaon team consisting of Jyoti Randhawa, Digvijay Singh and Abhinav Lohan, by a 3-0 margin in the final of the Rs. 1.24 crore Louis Philippe Cup 2013.Â
The matches resumed at 7:15 am on Sunday after being suspended due to rain on Saturday.Â
In the highly anticipated final encounter, two of Silverglades Delhi’s three players fashioned come-from-behind victories against their respective DLF Gurgaon opponents on Sunday.
In the first match between Delhi and Gurgaon, Himmat Singh Rai (75) gave Delhi the early lead after he outclassed Digvijay Singh (77) by two strokes. Himmat and Digvijay, both winners on the Asian Tour, were all square at three-over after 10 holes when play was called-off on Saturday. On Sunday, Digvijay dropped two strokes on the 16th and 17th as a result of some poor putting while Himmat secured pars on all the remaining eight holes.Â
Himmat said, “I had a slow start to the round due to the rough weather on Saturday. Even though I couldn’t convert the birdie opportunities on the back-nine, I was solid towards the end with pars from the 10th through to the 18th. I was not exactly at the top of my game but I played well enough to win my match as I stuck to my gameplan. It’s a different feeling to win a team event as you can enjoy your teammates’ success as well.’
In the second match of the final encounter, Abhinav Lohan (74) of Gurgaon lead Shamim Khan (73) of Delhi by one stroke when play was halted after 10 holes on Saturday. However, Shamim turned it around in his favour by one stroke on Sunday to give Delhi an unassailable 2-0 lead and the title.Â
Abhinav, playing in his second season as a professional, made birdie-bogey on the 15th and 16th. The seasoned Shamim, on the other hand, recovered well after a double-bogey early in his round to make birdies on the 12th and 17th. Shamim all but sealed it with a chip-in from 25 yards for birdie on the 17th. He also had excellent par saves on the 16th and 18th. His bunker shot on the 18th landed within six feet to set up the win.
“This is an important win for me as it helps me carry my good form from last year into the current season. I had a very poor start to the round and was behind my opponent for a major part of the round. Nonetheless, my experience helped me claw my way back into the match. My wedge shots were very accurate and chipping was excellent. I also made some crucial par saves towards the end,’ said Shamim, the reigning Rolex Rankings champion.
The third match of the final encounter saw Delhi’s Rashid Khan (69) upset Gurgaon’s Jyoti Randhawa (71) by two strokes. The two players were at level terms with scores of even-par after nine holes when play was suspended on Saturday. Former Asia no. 1 Randhawa then built a three-stroke lead after he birdied the 10th and 11th even as India’s rising star Rashid bogeyed the 10th.Â
Both players made birdies on the 12th but Rashid made it all square by adding three more birdies on the trot on 13th, 14th and 15th. The Delhi player converted putts from 15 to 20 feet on the 13th and 14th holes. Jyoti dropped bogeys on the 16th and 18th courtesy a three-putt and a shot into the water to hand Rashid a two-shot advantage. Rashid on his part made a couple of creditable par saves on the 16th and 17th to ensure his win.Â
Rashid said, “It’s great to win after being three strokes behind a champion player like Jyoti Randhawa. I had an amazing stretch of four consecutive birdies from the 12th to the 15th that turned it around for me. I putted really well in that phase of the game. The thought process in a team event is totally different. One cannot attack all the time as you need to keep your teammates’ scores in mind and have a greater responsibility towards the team. This win will be a huge morale-booster for all members of our team.’
In the third place playoff, last year’s champions Navratna Ahmedabad defeated hosts Jaypee Greens Greater Noida 2-1. Ahmedabad’s Vikrant Chopra beat Greater Noida’s Gaganjeet Bhullar on the second playoff hole after the two players ended the regulation 18 holes with matching scores of 73. by one stroke after 14 holes and R Murthy lead Vinod Kumar by three shots after 11 holes. Mithun Perera (73) made it 2-0 for Ahmedabad with a two-shot win over Sanjay Kumar (75). R Murthy (72) bagged a consolation win for Greater Noida against Vinod Kumar (74).
In the playoff for fifth place, Shubhkamna Noida defeated Puravankara Bangalore by a 2-1 scoreline while in the clash for seventh place TAKE Chennai edged out AVT Kolkata 2-1.
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Kapil Dev (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
For information on PGTI, please contact:
Nikhil Kalaan
Media Manager - PGTI
Mobile: 9910974846
Email: media@pgtofindia.com
