S Chikkarangappa brooks no stopping

Bengaluru: It was a sweet ending for S Chikkarangappa as he laid his hands on the inaugural Take Open Championship trophy at the Karnataka Golf Association on Saturday.

Having started the final day with a three-stroke cushion, the Bengaluru lad had to fight till the last as Rahil Gangjee put up a sizzling show to give Chikka a run for his money.

The delighted crowd saw the Bengaluru golfer pick up his second PGTI trophy of the season after he turned in a card of one-under-71 for a tournament total of 13-under-275. Gangjee finished just one shot behind him at 12-under-276 after he carded a brilliant round of four-under-68 for the day.

Seasoned-pro, Jyoti Randhawa, making a comeback from injury, had the best round of the day with a five-under-67 for a total of 10-under-278 to finish tied third along with Anura Rohana and Shubhankar Sharma. Rohana carded three-under-69 on the final day, while Panchkula golfer Shubhankar finished off the proceedings with a one-under-71.

Chikka started off with a birdie on the very first hole, but soon missed a stroke on the fourth. The localite pulled one back on the seventh when he long putted a 40-footer for a birdie as he took the turn with Gangjee hot on his heels.

Laying siege to 10th title
The back nine saw Chikka player cat and mouse with Gangjee as the home boy held onto his nerves to secure his tenth professional title. The 23-year-old’s lone birdie on the return leg came on the 11th which he followed up by missing a shot on the 14th. A few slip ups by Gangjee saw Chikka seal a one-stroke victory to walk away with the winner’s cheque.

Picking up the winner’s trophy a content Chikka said, “The win has been a satisfying one as I was mentally and physically exhausted coming into the last round, since I have been playing four weeks in a row and I have been in contention in all four tournaments. So it has taken a toll on me. My energy levels were low today so I kept telling my caddie to push me to play better.

“I had a bad stretch from the 12th to the 14th where I was not reading the lines well. I then had a nervous last few holes as Rahil made a charge. I got lucky when he bogeyed the 17th. I then decided to play regulation golf. The brilliant chip that set up a par for me on the 17th turned out to be crucial as it kept me ahead,” said the reigning Rolex Ranking champion.

Kolkata golfer Gangjee, who has recently shifted base to Bengaluru, made a run of birdies almost toppling Chikka. After saving two shots on the front nine (5th, 6th), he had a birdie run saving three shots on the 11th, 14th and 15th. But the 36-year-old dropped a shot on the 17th letting the game slip away from his fingers.