SCORESHEET

September 10th 2010, Gurgaon: Chiragh Kumar of Delhi won his maiden professional title after he shot a tenacious 71 in the final round of the PGTI Players Championship presented by Golden Greens Golf & Country Club. Chiragh totaled 10 under 278 for the tournament. Veteran Mukesh Kumar of Mhow and Bangalore’s R Srinivas shared second place with identical totals of seven under 281.

Chiragh Kumar (71-64-72-71) put up a resolute performance on an overcast day that witnessed just eight under par scores to post his breakthrough win on the Aircel PGTI. The 26-year-old had his task cut out at the start of the round as he was tied for the lead along with the old warhorse Mukesh Kumar, the winner of 11 titles on the Aircel PGTI.

Chiragh made a steady start as he made eight pars and a birdie on the front nine. The Delhi golfer produced an extraordinary tee shot on the par-three eighth which hit the flag and set up an easy birdie. Mukesh at the same time was a little inconsistent as he made three birdies, a bogey and a double bogey to be level par for the day at the turn.

Chiragh hung in there on the back nine with some great driving and fantastic iron-play. The bogey on the 13th was a minor setback for Chiragh since Mukesh got back to the top of the leaderboard at the end of the 15th hole thanks to three birdies that negated the effect of his double bogey on the 14th.

Mukesh then started missing fairways in a very uncharacteristic manner and as a result dropped bogeys on the last three holes. Chiragh, in the meantime, raised his game to birdie the final hole and bag his first professional title. The 2006 Asian Games silver medalist sealed it with the help of an amazing third shot on the 18th that landed within three feet of the pin.

Chiragh said, “It feels great to win my first title. The victory is yet to sink in. I was concentrating on playing to the best of my ability through the day and did not think too much about winning or losing. This approach helped my game. I knew it would be really tough to beat Mukesh so I thought of it as a situation where I was playing against the course instead of playing against Mukesh.

“I drove it really well, made all fairways and was also consistent with the putter. This win now gives me a lot of confidence for the future. I dedicate this victory to my parents who have been the greatest source of support for me. I would also like to thank my coach as well as my psychologist Dr. Tarun Jain for their valuable guidance.”

Mukesh Kumar (67-72-68-74), who seldom lets go of an opportunity to win a title, fired a 74 in the final round as he made a few three-putts and struggled with his hitting towards the end of the round.

Mukesh said, “I struggled with my putting today and just could not get into my rhythm. However, Chiragh played a solid round and showed great character to hang in there till the end.”

Mukesh is still the leader in the Rolex Rankings while Chiragh has climbed from 30th position to 11th place.

R Srinivas (71-67-71-72) shot a 72 on Friday to share second position along with Mukesh. This was his best finish on the Aircel PGTI so far.

Ashok Kumar finished fourth at five under 283 while Vinod Kumar was a further stroke behind in fifth place.

Sujjan Singh’s 69 was the best round of the day and helped him finish in tied eighth at even par 288.