Saturday, September 28, 2013

Shankar Das eases to two-stroke win



Panchkula, Haryana, September 27, 2013: KolkataⳠShankar Das produced a determined two-under-70 on Friday to ease to a comfortable two-stroke win at the PGTI Players Championship presented by Panchkula Golf Club. Shankar recorded a tournament total of 15-under-273 to lift his fourth professional title. Amardip Sinh Malik of Greater Noida finished as the runner-up.ࠠ

Shankar Das (67-69-67-70), the overnight joint leader along with Chikkarangappa, came up with seven birdies against two bogeys and a triple-bogey in the final round to end a two-year title drought. Das began the day with a birdie-bogey on the first two holes. He then built a three-shot lead at the top by sinking a birdie from 20 feet on the fourth even as Chikka dropped bogeys on the third and fourth.

Das dropped a shot on the ninth but came roaring back with four birdies in succession from the 10th through the 13th to pull away from the rest of the field. The 30-year-old holed a 12-footer on the 10th and landed it close to the flag on the following three holes. Shankar all but sealed it with a great approach shot that set up a birdie on the 16th and gave him a five-stroke lead. The Kolkata-based professional finally won by just a two-stroke margin after hitting a poor tee shot that led to a triple-bogey on the 18th.

㉠played some consistent golf today. My putter was also on fire. Things were looking good for me after the first five holes but Amardip then got within a shot of my score at the turn. I had to look for birdies from there on. I managed to pick up five birdies till the 16th thanks to some great hitting. A half-hearted drive on the 18th cost me a triple-bogey at the end. However, it wasnⴊenough to stop me from crossing the line with relative ease,䠳aid Shankar.

He added, ㉴Ⳋbeen a wonderful week for me as I played to my potential. Iⶥ won after a long gap and cherish this win. I would like to thank my brothers Manik Das and Appu Das who are my caddie and coach respectively for their support and inputs. I would also like to thank my sponsor Mr. Dilip Thomas for all his encouragement. I dedicate this win to my wife and two kids as well as my mother Mrs. Aruna Das, who is on her road to recovery after a major surgery.伯span>

Amardip Sinh Malik (68-69-69-69) was a threat to Shankar on the front-nine as he came within one stroke of the eventual champion. Malik made double-bogey on the fifth where his drive found the trees but still managed to make early inroads thanks to four birdies on the front-nine, including three on the trot from the sixth to the eighth. The wiry 28-year-old added two birdies and a bogey on the back-nine to finish second at 13-under-275.

Malik, who is yet to win a title, said, ㉠played solid through the week and was very patient. I made three birdie putts from 15 to 25 feet in the final round. I just wanted to be on ShankarⳠtail till the very end in order to give myself a chance. However, he just ran away with it with his birdie-spree on the back-nine. Nonetheless, I⭠quite happy with my performance and would like to give credit for it to my coach Mr. Romit Bose and the 2A Academy.伯span>

Chikkarangappa S (66-69-68-74) of Bangalore, the overnight joint leader along with Shankar, fired a 74 in round four to end up third at 11-under-277. Chikka made a poor start with three bogeys against a lone birdie on the front-nine as he struggled to find the centre of the fairway. He had a birdie and a bogey on the back-nine and couldnⴠchallenge Shankar at any stage.
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PanchkulaⳊAngad Cheema secured tied fourth position along with Chandigarh golfer Sujjan Singh and the Delhi duo of Manav Jaini and Shamim Khan at nine-under-279.

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