By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS
Bangalore : The monkey is finally off Rahul Ganapathy’s back. After finishing second more times than he can remember, the 29-year-old held his nerve to capture his maiden pro title at the Global Green Bangalore Open here Sunday.
Ganapathy, second at the last Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) event IOC XTra Premium Masters in Digboi, started the day one behind the leading trio, Arjun Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Naman Dawar. After a great start, Ganapathy stuttered for a while before steadying with pars over his last five holes when the pressure was at its peak. He ended with a 71 for a five-under total of 283.
Ganapathy came in as the clubhouse leader and even as he was submitting his card, he heard Arjun was in the greenside bunker on the 18th. He was still in the scorer’s room as Arjun hit his bunker shot too thick and stayed in the sandpit to end with a double bogey to cede the title to Ganapathy.
“For a minute, when I walked off with a par on the final hole, I thought, ‘One more second’,” said Ganapathy after the win. “But over the last year or so, I have become calm and been telling myself if I keep contending and playing to the best of my ability, I will get there. And finally I did.”
“Never did I think about the win today, and only when I was turning my card in did I realise I could win, as the chief referee told me to be ready in case,” added Ganapathy, whose wife and son were at hand at the KGA course.
Arjun Singh (73), Bhullar (73) and Shamim Khan (71) ended in a tie for second. The win was worth Rs.4,84,950 and third on the PGTI Order of Merit. He also gets a berth in the Johnnie Walker Classic, as one of the winners on PGTI circuit.
Young Vikrant Chopra (69) shot the best card of the day and tied for fifth with Naman Dawar (73) at three-under 285.
Ganapathy admitted: “It is a big relief, but I would not have been heart-broken if I had not won. I played well and showed a lot of heart. Still it was nice to win in front of my family, my wife, Anu, and my son, Veer.”
The Mysore-born Ganapathy, who has shifted to Gurgaon to train with Romit Bose at the Delhi Golf Club, began brilliantly with three birdies in the first five holes and moved into the lead at seven-under. “Earlier on, I would have looked at the score and then tried to hold onto the lead, but now I play my natural game,” he said.
Ganapathy dropped bogeys on the next two holes. He three-putted on the sixth and then went into the trees on the seventh. He again three-putted on the 12th to fall back to four-under. But the 20-foot birdie on the 13th put him back into contention.
The putts just wouldn’t fall for Arjun Singh, who started the day at five-under. A double bogey on the sixth dropped him to three-under, even as Ganapathy was making a charge.
At the turn Arjun was still three-under, after the turn he seemed to have found his rhythm. He hit a wedge to seven feet on tenth and holed it for a birdie and then again hit a great 5-wood followed by a wedge to five feet for another birdie on 12th.
A bogey on 13th was a temporary setback, before he hit two more great approach shots for birdie putts inside ten feet on the 14th and 15th. He parred the 16th and 17th to come to the 18th at six-under and one ahead of Ganapathy.
Then came the tragic double bogey on the 18th. After staying in the bunker with his third shot he missed a 15-footer for a bogey and the double bogey, he failed to take the battle into a play-off.
Bhullar, one-under through the front nine, was in the lead at six-under at the turn. A double bogey on the 11th, where he three-putted from inside eight feet was the beginning of the slide. He birdied the 12th, but dropped shots on the 13th and then three-putted on the 16th.
“Those three-putts did me in. Still I am happy for Rahul, who has been playing well and had to wait for so long for his first win. I am sure my time will come soon,” said Bhullar.
Shamim starting the day in Ganapathy’s company at three-under had birdied on fifth and sixth to get into the frame. The bogeys on the 11th and 12th did him in and even that birdie on the 14th was only good enough to get him into a tie for second.
Joint leader overnight, Naman Dawar opened with a birdie to move into sole lead. But he gave that up on the next hole. Dawar dropped a bogey on seventh and then doubled the ninth where he went into the trees on the right and topped the shot to go over the green. Another birdie on the tenth effectively ended his challenge, though birdies on the 12th and 18th brought him back to tied fifth.