INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

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SANJAY KUMAR LEADS AT HERO HONDA WEST IN PUNE

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SANJAY KUMAR LEADS AT HERO HONDA WEST IN PUNE

Pune, Feb 8: Sanjay Kumar overshadowed his more famed compatriot and defending champion Vijay Kumar to grab the first day’s honours in the Rs 10-lakh Hero Honda Open West 2005 at the picturesque Poona Club Golf Course here today. The Lucknow pro submitted a card of four-under 67 to set up a one-stroke lead over Ranjit Singh of Chandigarh. The Rs 10-lakh prize money event forms the 13th leg of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour.

Ranjit Singh accompanied by his charming wife Navjot fondly called as Ruby, fired eight birdies yet went home with a card of three-under par 68 to be placed joint-second with Asian Tour regular Arjun Singh. Mukesh Kumar began his quest for his fourth title of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour 2004-05 season with a neatly compiled two-under par 69 along with the two Kumars – Ashok and Vijay, the Ali siblings from Kolkata - Feroz and Rafick, Jaiveer Virk, Naman Dawar, Vinod Kumar and Praduman Singh Guleria, who all were tied for the fourth place.

Sanjay Kumar, currently sixth on the Amby Valley PGAI Order of Merit list, made an ominous start with a bogey after straying on his second shot. The stocky golfer who just turned 33, then began his birdie spree on the par-3 fourth with a calculated six-iron shot that gave him a chance for a three-foot birdie. Adding a birdie on the easy par-5 seventh with a 12-footer, Sanjay finished his front nine with yet another 10-feet birdie to take the turn at two-under.

A superb par saved on the par-3 13th from the greenside bunker gave the confidence for Sanjay to register his fourth birdie of the day on the next hole. A brilliant second shot on the par-4 17th helped Sanjay go four-under for the day. “I was hitting the ball well. I need to work on my putting,” said Sanjay who had 29 putts for the day.

Meanwhile, Ranjit Singh met with fluctuating fortunes. Successive bogeys on the fourth and fifth were followed by consecutive birdies on the next two holes. Driving the 348-yard par-4 ninth hole, the lanky lad two-putted for a birdie. The 29-year-old met with similar fate on his back nine despite opening with a birdie on the par-4 10th. His round suffered a a set back when he made a bogey followed by a double bogey on the 11th and 12th respectively. Ranjit Singh who is ninth on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour Order of Merit List then registered a hat-trick of birdies beginning from the 14th. Attacking the pin, Ranjit reached the difficult par-5 finishing hole in two but missed the 15-feet eagle putt and settled for a birdie. “I am disappointed because I could have finished with a big score,” said the ever-smiling pro.

Arjun Singh playing a bit safe registered his first birdie on the ninth while also saving a stroke each on the 11th, 13th and 18th. The Delhi Golf Club pro made a solitary bogey on the easy par-4 14th. “The course is short but your short game needs to be perfect to come out with a good score,” said Arjun who hit 15 greens-in-regulation and had 30 putts for the day.

PATWARDHAN LEADS: Meanwhile, Indian amateur team captain Jaideep Patwardhan playing at his home course, submitted a card of two-under 69, to lead amongst the amateurs.

Top Scores: Pros (after 18 holes): 67_Sanjay Kumar; 68_Ranjit Singh, Arjun Singh; 69_Mukesh Kumar, Feroz Ali, Jaiveer Virk, Ashok Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Naman Dawar, Rafiq Ali, Vinod Kumar; 70_Vikramjit Singh, Ajay Gupta, Shiv Kapur, Mohd. Islam, Roop Singh, R Srinivas, Digvijay Singh. Amateurs: 69_Jaideep Patwardhan; 73_Tarun Gogle
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DAY 2 - Fiery Mukesh Kumar grabs lead at Hero Honda Open Wes

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Fiery Mukesh Kumar grabs lead at Hero Honda Open West

Pune, Feb 9: Mukesh Kumar, winner in the previous
tournament on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour, kept his
chances of back-to-back victory as he grabbed the
half-way lead in the Rs 10-lakh Hero Honda Open West
2005, at the Poona Club Golf Course here today. The
Mhow-based pro added a sizzling six-under par 65 to
his overnight 69 to tally eight-under par 134 after 36
holes.

Also in hunt were Asian Tour regular Arjun Singh and
defending champion Vijay Kumar, with just a stroke
behind on seven-under 135, with the former making a
bogey each on the last two holes to submit a card of
four-under par 67 while Vijay Kumar carded five-under
66. Ranjit Singh of Chandigarh and Vinod Kumar of
Delhi with their new-found form were tied for the
fourth place at six-under par 136.

Exactly 50 professionals made it to the money making
rounds after the cut was applied at four-over 146.
Amongst the prominent names to miss the cut were old
stalwarts Ali Sher and Shiv Prakash.

Mukesh Kumar, who had vowed not to commit any mistake,
lived up to his promise today. After a solitary birdie
in his front nine, where he saved a stroke on the
par-3 second, the four-time `Champion golfer of the
year', made successive birdies on the 11th and 12th
and repeated the feat on the 14th and 15th. Most of
his birdies were testing downhill putts which he made
them with élan. Missing an eagle putt on the par-5
18th, the leader signed off with his sixth birdie of
the day. "I still have two rounds to go. It is a
little early to predict the winner," said Mukesh who
has never won here, despite leading the tournament
several times.

Arjun Singh, who is playing only his second tournament
on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour 2004-05 season, mostly
because of his Asian Tour assignments, began from
where he left on the previous day. The 35-year-old pro
sank a 15-footer birdie putt on the par-4 third, which
set the tone for the day. With a bogey and a birdie on
the fifth and sixth holes respectively, the lanky
golfer took the turn at one-under. But it was in the
back nine that his putter grew hot.

Arjun's return journey began with a hat-trick of
birdies. A 30-footer birdie putt on the 11th stunned
even his playing partners - Naman Dawar and Rajesh
Chaudhary. His penchant for birdies grew even more
when he saved a stroke each on the 14th and 15th to be
six-under for the day. However, a bogey from just off
the green on the 17th added to the bad tee shot on the
finishing hole leading to another bogey, put the
consistent golfer a stroke behind the leader.

"I putted really well today," said Arjun Singh who had
28 putts for the day while hitting 13 greens in
regulation. "It was a bit disappointing to finish with
bogeys but overall I am happy with my round," said the
twice Honda Siel PGA Championship of India winner.

Meanwhile, Vijay Kumar's round was laced with six
birdies. The `Lion of Lucknow' as he is known, was
accurate with his iron-play, especially with the
wedges. Opening his birdie spree on the fifth, the
stocky golfer made four birdies in a row beginning
from the seventh, all from around 2-feet range. He
also missed an eagle on the 15th when he almost
chipped-in from the edge. The lone bogey came on the
par-3 16th.

Gurbaaz Mann, the longest hitter of the ball on the
Amby Valley PGAI Tour made seven birdies in matching
Mukesh's effort today. With a calculated 5-iron on the
215-yard second hole, the toughest of the par-3s, he
made a 5-foot birdie. The Chandigarh lad missed eagle
putts on both the par-5s, the 7th and the 12th from
20-feet but made the birdies. "My hitting saved the
day for me for I was not able to sink any putt which
was more than five feet," said Gurbaaz, who made 28
putts. The lone bogey came on the par-4 11th where he
lost a stroke despite driving it to the edge of the
green.

Top Scores: Pros (after 36 holes): 134_Mukesh Kumar
(69,65); 135_Vijay Kumar (69,66), Arjun Singh (68,67);
136_Vinod Kumar (69,67), Ranjit Singh (68,68);
137_Ashok Kumar (69,68): 138_Gurbaaz Mann (73,65),
Digvijay Singh (70,68); 139_Shiv Kapur (70,69),
Pradhuman Singh Guleria (69,70); 140_Sanjay Kumar
(67,73). Amateurs: 143_Jaideep Patwardhan (69,74);
147_Tarun Gogle (73,74).
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by ajay »

Thanks Swamy for the report. Strong performance by Mukesh Kumar. I always wonder why he could not translate this success in Asian tour.
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Vinod Kumar ursurps lead at Hero Honda Open West

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Vinod Kumar ursurps lead at Hero Honda Open West

Pune, Feb 10: After the favourites had cornered glory on the first two days, unfancied Vinod Kumar shot into a one-stroke lead at the end of the penultimate round in the Rs 10-lakh prize money Hero Honda Open West 2005 at the Poona Club Golf Course here today. In an eventful round, the 24-year-old fired eight birdies, missed four eagles and made four bogeys to submit a card of four-under 67 for a 54-hole total of 10-under 203. Overnight leader Mukesh Kumar was off-colour in registering a card of one-under par 70.

But it was Bangalore lad S Madaiah who set the course on fire with a superb round of eight-under 63 and shattered the course record of seven-under to be placed third. Arjun Singh played a level-par round of 71 to be in the fourth spot while Ranjit Singh and Vijay Kumar were tied for the fifth place. Gurbaaz Mann was seventh at 208 while Gaurav Diwan and Shiv Kapur shared the eighth position with a total of 209.

Vinod Kumar, who has led only once during the Hero Honda Open South three years ago, will have to hold his nerves to win his first title on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour. Making an ominous start by shanking his tee shot, the Delhi Golf Club pro made a bogey. A similar shot on the third hole ensured that he was two-over after three holes. However when he hit form, Vinod was unstoppable as he chased the greens with ever-growing hunger for birdies. Driving the 351-yard par-4 fifth, he missed eagle from 20-feet, but registered his first birdie of the day and went on to birdie the next two holes as well, missing another eagle on the par-5 seventh from just 10 feet. The youngster missed another eagle on the ninth after driving the 348-yard hole.

Vinod who has been playing well in this tournament which forms the 13th leg of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour 2004-05 season, made consecutive bogeys on the 11th and 12th when he three-putted from about 15 feet. However, with four birdies in the last five holes, Vinod walked in the club house as the leader. The most significant one amongst them was on the 15th where he was in the jungle on his tee shot and rolled the ball to within three feet for a birdie. “I am hitting the ball well especially my driving,” said Vinod. “I am thrilled to be the leader after a long time. My game plan would be to play my natural game,” said Vinod who hit 15 greens and made 32 putts.

Mukesh Kumar, adopted a defensive approach which actually proved a deterrent to his game. Missing a par-putt from four feet, the 36-year-old incurred a bogey on the fourth. He set right the blemish by making successive birdies on the next two holes. After a birdie on the 10th, Mukesh made a bogey on the penultimate hole to finish the day at one-under par 70. “I am upset with my putting. I don’t know whether I will be able to break the jinx at this course,” said Mukesh.

Meanwhile, Madaiah who was level-par after 36 holes, warmed up a bit late as he began his birdie spree on the par-3 fourth when he sank a 15-footer, downhill putt and repeated the act on the next hole as well. After a driver-3 iron approach on the par-5 seventh, the 23-year-old from Karnataka Golf Association sank a 25-footer for an eagle. With another birdie on the ninth, Madaiah took the turn at five-under. Beginning his back nine with a birdie, he added two more to his kitty on the 12th and 14th. After narrowly missing the water hazard on his drive on the 15th, the Bangalore lad rolled the ball but fell short of the green. To add to the misery, he three putted for a bogey. Over-clubbing on the second shot on the par-4 17th led to another bogey on the penultimate hole. However, he sank a testing 12-footer on the tricky 18th to make his seventh birdie of the day and thus break the course record. “I have been playing well but somehow not been able to convert into good scores. I am thrilled to have set a record for myself too,” said Madaiah after firing his career-best round.

Top Scores: Pros (after 54 holes): 203_Vinod Kumar (69,67,67); 204_Mukesh Kumar (69,65,70); 205_S Madaiah (73,69,63); 206_ Arjun Singh (68,67,71); 207_Ranjit Singh (68,68,71), Vijay Kumar (69,66,72); 208_ Gurbaaz Mann (73,65,70); 209_Gaurav Diwan (73,69,67), Shiv Kapur (70,69,70); 210_ Digvijay Singh (70,68,72); Ashok Kumar (69,68,73) Amateurs: 213_Jaideep Patwardhan (69,74,70); 221_Tarun Gogle (73,74,74).
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Classy Arjun takes home Hero Honda Open West title

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Classy Arjun takes home Hero Honda Open West title



Pune, Feb 11: Arjun Singh stamped his class as the lanky golfer from Delhi fired a sizzling six-under 66 on the final day to win the Rs 10-lakh Hero Honda Open West 2005, the 13th event on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour, at the picturesque Poona Club Golf Course here today. Overnight leader Vinod Kumar, showing the chinks of inexperience, failed to consolidate even as old stalwart Mukesh Kumar raised a last-minute battle, only to finish second behind Arjun who had a final tally of 13-under par 271.



Gurbaaz Mann, the longest hitter of the ball on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour was third with 8-under par 276. A hard working Ranjit Singh was fourth along with Vinod Kumar. Vijay Kumar putted miserably to finish joint sixth with S Madaiah at 278. Arjun Singh took home the winner’s cheque of Rs 1,62,000 while Mukesh had to settle for the runner-up prize of Rs 1,12,000.



Arjun Singh who began the final round three strokes behind the leader, made a bogey on the third while making a birdie on the next. However, the lanky golfer began his onslaught of birdies on the par-5 seventh and rested only when he had secured the winning lead. Making consecutive birdies on the eighth, ninth, tenth, and 11th , Arjun who is playing only his second tournament on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour, made a superb eagle on the par-5 12th, a resultant of a driver-3-wood combination. The eagle putt gave him a six-stroke lead over the next best players – Mukesh Kumar and Vinod Kumar.



Arjun did teach his younger opponents some lessons in iron-play and accuracy. With a score of seven-under for the day, Arjun had sealed the match by the 13th where he saved a great par from the bunker. However, losing a stroke on the 14th, the twice PGA Championship of India winner missed a small par-putt on the par-3 16th. In fact, even his playing partners Vijay Kumar and Ranjit Singh also missed pars from two feet. However with a birdie on the easy par-4 17th, Arjun opened up a three-stroke lead.



Meanwhile in the leader group, the experienced Mukesh Kumar, after a one-over finish in his front nine, waged a late battle firing four birdies in his last five holes, thanks to his putting. He did not miss any putt that was around atleast 15-feet. However, he hit the form a bit late as Arjun, playing a group ahead had tightened his grip on the title by then.



Mukesh’s playing partners Vinod Kumar and Madaiah surely succumbed to the pressure for they missed putts narrowly and were wayward in their driving too. The only solace was their short game. A great approach shot on the finishing hole saw Arjun miss a birdie but nevertheless the par gave him his first title of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour 2004-05 season.



“I am damn thrilled at the victory, especially since I had a bad patch in the Asian Tour last season where I could not even keep my card, said the champion. “The win has come at the right time for I have to start all over again,” he added.



The Amby Valley Tour hits the shores of Mumbai next week for the Rs 10-lakh Airtel Open.



PATWARDHAN CHAMPION: Jaideep Patwardhan, the Indian National Amateur team captain, playing on his home course took away the honors in the Amateur category with a total of four-over 288 while Tarun Gogle was the runner-up.



Top Scores: Pros (after 72 holes): 271_Arjun Singh (68,67,71,65); 273_Mukesh Kumar (69,65,70,69); 276_Gurbaaz Mann (73,65,70,68); 277_Ranjit Singh (68,68,71,70), Vinod Kumar (69,67,67,74); 278_Vijay Kumar (69,66,72,71), S Madaiah (73,69,63,73); 280_Harinder Gupta (73,68,72,67), Shiv Kapur (70,69,70,71); 281_US Mundy (73,68,70,70), Digvijay Singh (70,68,72,71), Ashok Kumar (69,68,73,71); 282_Indrajit Bhalotia (71,70,73,68); 283_Gaurav Diwan (73,69,67,74). Amateurs: 288_Jaideep Patwardhan (69,74,70,75); 298_Tarun Gogle (73,74,74,77).
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by Henley »

woohoo Thanks Swamy. That's awfully nice of you.

By the way, what was the score of the Indian Masters in the season?
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AIRTEL OPEN -- FIVE SHARE LEAD ON FIRST DAY

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Mumbai, Feb 15: The Airtel Open promises to be thriller as five professionals were tied for lead on the opening day of the Rs 10-lakh prize money professional event at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club here today. Former Indian Open winner Feroz Ali, Gast Ram, Gaurav Diwan, Ranjit Singh and local challenger Prakash Kubde all returned a card of three-under par 67 to be tied for the lead.

The Airtel Open, which forms the 14th leg of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour saw as many as 28 par or sub-par scores on a day where the professionals faced some tough pin positions added to the tricky greens at the BPGC. Unheralded Dayal Singh was in the sixth position with two-under par 68 along with Rahul Ganapathy. Winner of the last event Arjun Singh, Devendra Patel, Jaiveer Virk, Jumman and Vijay Kumar were all tied for the eighth place with 69.

Feroz Ali made a dream start making two birdies and an eagle to be four-under after four holes. Birding the easy par-5 opening hole, the Kolkatan missed a four-footer birdie putt on the second. Almost driving the par-4 third hole, Feroz made an easy birdie. However, his best shot of the day was on the par-5 fourth. With a driver-9-iron approach shot, the 34-year-old sank an eight-footer for an eagle. From that position, Feroz struggled with his putter missing small birdie putts. He made a bogey on the par-3 13th after hitting his tee shot in the right bunker. ‘I have been struggling with the putter,” said Feroz who had 32 putts for the day. “My hitting saved the day for me,” he said after hitting 15 greens-in-regulation.

The other leader Gast Ram, despite making seven birdies finished the day at 3-under. The 36-year-old pro made birdies on the 1st, 4th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th while making bogeys on the 2nd, 9th, 15th and 17th.

Ranjit Singh meanwhile, playing flawless golf, made consecutive birdies on the fourth and fifth while adding one more birdie on the 11th. The Chandigarh lad made a bogey on the 16th after making three putts from 12 feet. In a contrasting round, local challenger Prakash Kubde, coming out of an injury, made a bright start with birdies on the first, fourth and 14th to be three-under for the day. A double bogey on the 15th cut short his otherwise good journey which he made it successful by adding birdies on the 16th and 18th.

Gaurav Diwan began with a bogey on the second. However, the Bangalore lad made amends with a hat-trick of birdies on beginning from the fourth. After a birdie on the 14th, Gaurav incurred a triple bogey on the next hole but ended up with satisfying birdies on the 16th and 18th.

Top scores (after 18 holes) (Pro): 67_Feroz Ali, Gast Ram, Gaurav Diwan, Prakash Kubde, Ranjit Singh; 68_Dayal Singh, Rahul Ganapathy; 69_Arjun Singh, Devendra Patel, Jaiveer Virk, Jumman, Vijay Kumar. Amateurs: 77_Rishi Bali; 80_Mehul Rastogi.
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by ajay »

Swamy, once again thanks for the report. Swamy, can you comment on the field for Airtel Open. I see last week champion Arjun Singh, Vijay Kumar playing in the tournament, but what happened to stalwarts like Mukesh Kumar, Digvijay Singh, and youngster Gurbazz Mann, Harinder Gupta, Ashok Kumar. Where is Shiv Kapur? His name is not in the published tee time for Malaysian tourney.

Swamy, are you going to Malaysia this week?
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Post by ajay »

Here is a report on second day's play(it must be Swamy's report).
Second day scores:

Top scores (after 36 holes) (Pro): 135_Feroz Ali (67,68); 138_SSP Chowrasia (74,64); Ali Sher (70,68), Ranjit Singh (67,71), 139_Uttam Singh Mundy (71,68), Harinder Gupta (70,69), Mukesh Kumar (70,69), Jaiveer Virk (70,69), 140_Naman Dawar (70,70), S Madaiah (70,70), Arjun Singh (69,71), Prakash Kubde (67,73).

Amateurs: 157_Mehul Rastogi (80,77), 160_Rishi Bali (77,83).

Nice to see Chip-putt Chowrasia (SSP Chowrasia ) again. I was wondering where did he vanish. It seems he was out with a wrist injury. OK, I see Mukesh Kumar, Harinder Gupta names in the above list.
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FEROZ ALI TAKES THREE-STROKE LEAD AT AIRTEL OPEN

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FEROZ ALI TAKES THREE-STROKE LEAD AT AIRTEL OPEN

Mumbai, Feb 16: Overnight joint-leader Feroz Ali grabbed the initiative in the second round to take a three-stroke lead in the Airtel Open, the 14th event on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour, being played at the par-70 Bomaby Presidency Golf Club her today. The former Indian Open champion added a two-under par 68 to his overnight 67 to be five-under par 135 after 36 holes.

SSP Chowrasia shot a superb six-under par 64 to be placed second along with two others – Ali Sher and Ranjit Singh who had a two-day total of two-under 138. Uttam Singh Mundy submitted a card of two-under 68 to be tied for the fifth place along with Harinder Gupta, Mukesh Kumar and Jaiveer Virk. As many as 56 players made it to the money making rounds after the cut was applied at seven-over 147.

Feroz Ali with a monster drive and a seven-iron approach shot on the opening hole, made a birdie missing the 20-foot eagle putt. Strong winds blowing in the later part of the day made shot-making all the more difficult. The Kolkatan made two successive birdies on the third and fourth to be three-under. However consecutive bogeys on the sixth and seventh where he three-putted on the former, Feroz made a birdie on the eight to take the turn at two-under par. With two more bogeys on the 12th and 15th, Feroz was level par for the day.

However, a couple of birdies (16th and 18th) in the last three holes saved the day for the 36-year-old. “My short game was not up to the mark, especially my wedges. The bogeys were resultant of my bad wedge shots,” said the leader who hit just 11 greens-in regulation and had 28 putts for the day. “It is too early to predict the winner. Personally I am keen to win my first title of the season,” said Feroz who is currently in the ninth position on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour Order of Merit list and has six top ten finishes thus far.

Meanwhile, SSP Chowrasia fondly known as “Chip-putt Chowrasia” for his extremely good short game is recuperating from a wrist injury he incurred last year. Playing in only his fourth tournament on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour 2004-05 season, the Kolkatan showed no signs of lay-off as he began his birdie spree right from the first hole. The diminutive golfer then made an eagle-two on the par-5 fourth where he chipped-in from the bunker.

With birdies on the fifth and seventh, Chowrasia looked set for a good score. Making successive birdies on the 11th and 12th, the former a long-ranger from 30 feet, he was in full flow. If only his hitting supported his short game, he could well have set a course record. Another birdie on the 16th after hitting the wall on his second shot, he made an up and down for a birdie while on the 18th, with a 30-footer left to right putt. The three bogeys he incurred were all on the par-3s - 2nd, 6th and 8th. “Going by the way I hit the ball, I am lucky to get a score of six-under par 66,” said Chowrasia who hit 12 greens and had 25 putts for the day.

Top scores (after 36 holes) (Pro): 135_Feroz Ali (67,68); 138_SSP Chowrasia (74,64); Ali Sher (70,68), Ranjit Singh (67,71), 139_Uttam Singh Mundy (71,68), Harinder Gupta (70,69), Mukesh Kumar (70,69), Jaiveer Virk (70,69), 140_Naman Dawar (70,70), S Madaiah (70,70), Arjun Singh (69,71), Prakash Kubde (67,73). Amateurs: 157_Mehul Rastogi (80,77), 160_Rishi Bali (77,83).
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by Kumar »

Swamy, excellent reports.. Could you please let us know what is up with Ashok Kumar.. He seem to be digressing a little!!! :(
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Post by jaydeep »

Very detailed report Swamy ... Thanks for sharing with us ... But yes I m also very interested about knowing Ashok Kumar's recent slump in form.

Jaydeep.
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by ajay »

Harinder Shines. The youngster returned an impressive card of 63. The veteran Mukesh is right on his heels, setting up an interesting final round.
We'll wait for more detailed report by Swami.

Top scores (after 72 holes) (Pro): 202_Harinder Gupta (70,69,63); 204_ Ranjit Singh (67,71,66); 205_ Mukesh Kumar (70,69,66); 207_ Uttam Singh Mundy (71,68,68), Feroz Ali (67,68,72); 210_Jaiveer Virk (70,69,71); 211_Vijay Kumar (69,72,70); 212_BG Lalith Kumara (71,71,70), Yusuf Ali (71,70,71), Arjun Singh (69,71,72).
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Harinder sets course on fire to grab lead at Airtel Open

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HI GUYS: THESE ARE REPORTS WRITTEN BY COLLEAGUES IN TIGER SPORTS. I SEND THEM TO THE FORUM SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN SHARE IT. SWAMY

Harinder sets course on fire to grab lead at Airtel Open

Mumbai, Feb 17: Harinder Gupta has taken a liking to the challenging Bombay Presidency Golf Club course. A fortnight ago, the Chandigah lad had shot a 10-under par score playing for his sponsors HSBC. Today, he fired nine birdies to return a card of seven-under 63 to take a two-stroke lead over his compatriot Ranjit Singh at the end of the penultimate round of the Airtel Open, the 14th leg of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour.

Three-time champion golfer of the year Mukesh Kumar also made his move submitting a card of four-under par 66 to be placed third with a 54-hole total of 205 while Uttam Singh Mundy was tied for the fourth place along with overnight leader Feroz Ali at 207. Jaiveer Virk was sixth at level-par 210 while Vijay Kumar was in the seventh position at 211.

Harinder who suffered a strain in his thigh muscle last evening, limped his way during the round. But it was not that important for the moment as the 22-year-old went in a clinical way making birdies one after another. Even though he began with a bad drive on the opening hole, the Chandigarh lad made a birdie, holing an eight-footer. But his real onslaught began from the par-5 fourth when he made a 25-footer left to right for his second birdie of the day. He did not stop until he had saved a stroke each on the next four holes to make it five-in-a-row.

Meanwhile, Feroz Ali leading by two stokes, dropped shots on consecutive holes to fall behind as Harinder continued his march. SSP Chowrasia who had logged a card of six-under par 64 in the second round, failed to check his iron-play and paid the price shooting seven-over for the day. Harinder’s pick of the lot was on the par-4 seventh where he chipped-in from the edge after he had overshot the green. After saving a great par on the difficult par-4 ninth, Harinder took the turn at 5-under for the day.

A driver-pitching wedge approach saw the Chandigarh Golf Club pro sitting for a four-feet birdie putt on the par-4 11th. With a bogey on the 15th where he three-putted, Harinder then made a birdie on the easy par-5 16th, despite going over the green. A sandy birdie on the finishing hole was a fitting end to his majestic round. “I have been hitting the bal well. Only the results were not showing,” said a delighted Harinder who hit 15 greens-in-regulation and made 27 putts for the day even as the other players struggled on the fast greens.

Ranjit Singh playing along with Harinder, made birdies on the fourth and seventh, the latter with a 30-footer. However, with a bogey on the last hole of his front nine, the 29-year-old was just one-under for the day. Successive birdies on the 11th and 12th put him back n the track but only till the 15th where he double-bogeyed from being in the centre of the fairway. Making amends with a birdie on the 16th, Ranjit sank a 15-footer left to right eagle putt on the 18th to finish the day at four-under. “I am still ruing at the double bogey on the 15th,” said Ranjit who made 28 putts for the day. “I think two strokes makes a huge difference in a course like the unpredictable BPGC,” he added.

Meanwhile Mukesh Kumar played an almost perfect round but for the bogey on the 16th where he overshot the green and failed to make up and down. The Mhow-based had a solitary birdie (fifth) on his front nine while firing four on his back nine – 10th, 12, 14th and 18th. “I will surely go for a win” said Mukesh who had come back from a five-stroke deficit to win the DHL Challenge at the same venue two years ago.

With just two strokes separating the leaders, the last day could be a pulsating affair.

Top scores (after 72 holes) (Pro): 202_Harinder Gupta (70,69,63); 204_ Ranjit Singh (67,71,66); 205_ Mukesh Kumar (70,69,66); 207_ Uttam Singh Mundy (71,68,68), Feroz Ali (67,68,72); 210_Jaiveer Virk (70,69,71); 211_Vijay Kumar (69,72,70); 212_BG Lalith Kumara (71,71,70), Yusuf Ali (71,70,71), Arjun Singh (69,71,72). Amateurs: 238_Mehul Rastogi (80,77,81)
V Krishnaswamy
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Who is Harinder?

Post by V Krishnaswamy »

Harinder Gupta belongs to the Nursery of Indian golf - Chandigarh. He won a pro event, while he was still an amateur a season ago. Then he turned pro. He is very talented and just 22. We should be hearing of him more in coming years. Along with Shiv and Ashok, he is a really good young pro.
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