GolfPlus- Dec19 Digital Edition (Dec 19) | Page 69

SHAMIM KHAN COASTS TO THREE-SHOT WIN
AT KENSVILLE OPEN 2019 PRESENTED BY TATA STEEL PGTI
elhi’s Shamim Khan coasted to a
comfortable three-shot win at the
Kensville Open 2019 Presented by
TATA Steel PGTI, a Rs. 40 lakh
event, played at the Kensville Golf &
Country Club near Ahmedabad.
The experienced Shamim, the overnight
leader by two shots, posted a tenacious two-
under-70 in the ¿ nal round to emerge as the
wire-to-wire champion with a winning total
of 13-under-275. Khan thus lifted his 15th
trophy on the TATA Steel PGTI which also
accounted for his overall 17th professional
win.
Pune-based Udayan Mane, the only player
besides Shamim to return four sub-par
rounds during the tournament, came up with
a last round of 71 to secure the runner-up
spot at 10-under-278.
Shamim Khan (66-68-71-70), who held the
lead in all the three previous rounds, enjoyed
his best day with the putter as he sank ¿ ve
birdies at the cost of three bogeys. The
41-year-old stretched his lead to three shots
at the turn having made two 20-feet birdie
conversions on the front-nine.
Khan dropped two bogeys on the back-nine
after ¿ nding a tree on one hole and a hazard
on the other, but he still managed to close
Shamim Khan receives the winning cheque from Mr. Sameer Sinha, MD, Kensville Golf & Country Club (extreme
left), Mr. Sampath Chari, Tournament Director, PGTI (2nd from right) and Mr. Lokinder Malik, GM, Kensville Golf &
Country Club (extreme right)
UDAYAN MANE FINISHES RUNNER-UP
out the match with two birdies even as the
others were unable to catch up with him.
Shamim’s ¿ rst title after a one-year gap
earned him prize money worth Rs. 6,46,600
that pushed him up from 30th to 14th place
in the TATA Steel PGTI Order of Merit.
Khan, known to have one of the smoothest
golf swings in Indian golf, said, “This
win really raises my con¿ dence as it was
achieved with a double-digit total score on
a dif¿ cult course. In fact, only two players,
Udayan and me, had a double-digit total
this week. That reÀ ects the tough scoring
conditions at Kensville.
“I wasn’t having a great season until I
arrived in Ahmedabad. But I feel that I can
now carry this form into the last three events
of the season,” added Shamim, the only man
with career earnings in excess of Rs. 4 crore
on the PGTI.
Shamim Khan - Winner
Udayan Mane (69-67-71-71), lying two off
the lead in tied second after round three, shot
a 71 on day four that featured three birdies
and two bogeys. Mane, who began the day
with a bogey on the ¿ rst hole, was looking
good for a late surge when he picked up
birdies on the eighth, ninth and 11th. But
Udayan’s bogey on the 15th put paid to his
hopes as he conceded an almost unassailable
four-shot lead to Shamim.
Udayan Mane - Runner-up
GolfPlus
DECEMBER
2019
73