Chandigarh, 20-09-2013

Rock-solid Gangjee canters to six-stroke win

Sujjan, Zamal claim tied second place

Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee cantered to a comfortable six-stroke win at the PGTI Players Championship at Chandigarh Golf Club after a rock-solid performance in the final round. Gangjee returned a clinical two-under-70 in round four to end up with an impressive tournament total of 13-under-275. Chandigarh golfer Sujjan Singh claimed tied second position along with Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah as both totaled seven-under-281.

Rahil Gangjee (67-71-67-70), the overnight leader by three strokes, was in control all through the final day. The 35-year-old hit his drive to the right on the second but managed to salvage a birdie after a good third shot and a 10-feet conversion on the green. Gangjee, known to be a proficient horse-rider, extracted another birdie from a tough situation on the 13^th where he landed his second shot in the bunker. He got out of trouble on the 13^th with a decent bunker shot and another 10-feet birdie putt.

The only blemish on Rahil’s card was the bogey on the 15^th as he found the trees on two occasions on that hole. The man from the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) finally sealed his fourth professional title after a par-save on the 17^th and an eight-foot birdie putt on the 18^th.

This happens to be Rahil’s third title on the domestic circuit. Gangjee, who went through the rigours of playing on the Web.com Tour in the United States in 2011 and 2012, also has a win on the Asian Tour that he achieved back in 2004 in China.

“I hit some solid shots through the day. The intensity was there till the end and I didn’t let go of any chances. I knew I had it in the bag after my closest competitor Zamal bogeyed the 15^th. It’s great to win after such a long gap,” said Gangjee, who ended a five-year victory drought.”

He added, “I had suffered a huge setback at the European Tour’s 2010 Avantha Masters where I was leading on the final day with five holes to go. I did not the grab my opportunities on that occasion and finally finished outside the top-10. I’ve grown from that experience as it taught me how to handle pressure while leading. My stint on the Web.com Tour in the United States over the last two seasons has also made me more competitive.

“I’d like to thank my sponsor Mr. Dilip Thomas for supporting me. I also attribute my success to my swing coach Mr. Ajai Gupta and my mental coach Mr. Pradeep Agarwal, who have both helped me raise my game. This win will help me perform better on the Asian Tour,” said Gangjee, the only golfer with four sub-par rounds this week.

Sujjan Singh (71-69-73-68) of Chandigarh gave the home crowd something to cheer about as he closed with a 68 to finish joint second at seven-under-281. Sujjan’s final round featured five birdies against a lone bogey.

Sujjan said, “I was a bit rusty coming into this tournament but my performance got better with each passing day. I hit it well today.”

Md Zamal Hossain Mollah of Bangladesh (72-70-67-72) joined Sujjan Singh in tied second place after posting a sedate 72 that included four birdies and four bogeys.

Jyoti Randhawa (68-74-74-67) climbed from overnight tied 15^th to tied fourth after signing off with a brilliant bogey-free 67 in the final round which also happened to be the day’s best score. He totaled five-under-283 for the event.

Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (69-67-72-75) dropped from overnight second position to tied fourth after he carded a 75 in the final round.  

Randhawa and Sharma were joined by Abhijit Singh Chadha (69-72-70-72), another Chandigarh golfer and Panchkula’s Angad Cheema (73-72-70-68) in tied fourth place. While Abhijit returned a 72 on the final day, Angad submitted a card of 68.