GolfPlus July 2018 Digital Edition (July 2018) | Page 64

ASHBEER SAINI PREVAILS BY THREE SHOTS AT PGTI FEEDER TOUR EVENT
IN KARNAL TO BAG MAIDEN WIN
Kapurthala lad’s career gets a new lease of life
This win is huge
for me as it
helps me fi nally
break the victory
barrier. I’ve fully
recovered from
my injury now
and my game is
improving with
every passing
event.
Ashbeer Saini (centre) receives the winning cheque from Mr. K K Sindhu, IPS, DG, Haryana Police
Academy, Madhuban (left) and Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI (right)
apurthala lad Ashbeer Saini’s
career got a new lease of life after
he bagged his maiden professional
title at the PGTI Feeder Tour event at the
Madhuban Meadows Golf Club in Karnal,
Haryana.
The 24-year-old Saini (63-67-71), who
returned a sedate one-over-71 in the ¿ nal
round, prevailed by three shots at nine-
under-201 for a wire-to-wire victory.
Delhi’s Pawan Verma (72-65-67), a former
winner on the Feeder Tour, produced the
third day’s joint best score of three-under-67
to gain two spots and ¿ nish in second at six-
under-204. It was Verma’s second runner-up
¿ nish of the season.
challenge on the ¿ nal day ensured Ashbeer’s
win despite him making three birdies at the
expense of two bogeys and a double bogey.
Saini had joined the professional ranks in
2013 as a bright prospect after having had
the distinction of being India’s leading junior
and amateur golfer in the preceding years.
The luxury of a commanding ¿ ve-shot
overnight lead and the absence of any serious 70 2018
JULY
“I feel I’m now well prepared to make an
impact on the main tour,” added Ashbeer,
who moved up four spots to third place on
the Feeder Tour Order of Merit.
However, the golfer who has been inspired
by his city-mate Gaganjeet Bhullar, could
not achieve the desired results in his ¿ rst
¿ ve seasons as a professional and was also
hampered by a wrist injury that he suffered
in 2016.
Saini said, “This win is huge for me as it
helps me ¿ nally break the victory barrier.
I’ve fully recovered from my injury now and
my game is improving with every passing
event as is evident from my top-10 ¿ nishes
GolfPlus
in all three Feeder Tour events this season.
Ashbeer Saini - Winner