Players: 126.
16. Apr.
Round 1.
Leader: SHANKAR DAS
Score: 65. (-7)
Noida, 16 Apr 2019
Shankar Das enjoys the early advantage at Delhi-NCR Open 2019
Kolkata’s Shankar Das took the first round lead at the TATA Steel PGTI’s Delhi-NCR Open 2019 as he got off to a cracking start with a score of seven-under-65 at the Noida Golf Course (NGC).
While Shankar Das topped the leaderboard on day one, Bengaluru’s C Muniyappa was second with a score of six-under-66 at the Rs. 30 lakh event.
Shankar, fresh from a third place finish at the last PGTI event in Pune two weeks back, seems to have carried his good form to Noida as he struck eight birdies at the cost of a lone bogey on Tuesday.
Das, who won the last of his seven titles on the PGTI in September 2017, had a steady start to the week as he was even-par for the day through his first five holes till the 14th. Shankar then began building the momentum with two exceptional wedge shots that earned him tap-in birdies on the 15th and 17th.
The seasoned 36-year-old then was on a roll on the front-nine as he picked up five birdies between the third and the eighth. He kept landing it close with his irons on the front-nine and was therefore rewarded with a string of birdies. Shankar missed out on a hole-in-one on the fifth and on the seventh his approach from 130 yards stopped inches from the hole.
Shankar said, “I’m feeling good about my game at the moment as I have had two top-10s in the last two PGTI events. My ball-striking has been excellent and I have a new-found confidence with my driver, 3-wood and putter. Today I hit some very accurate iron shots as well.
“I’ve been in contention at the last two events at NGC so I’m quite at home at this course. But I now want to make this start count and finally win a title here in Noida.”
C Muniyappa produced an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys during his round of 66. Former Indian Open champion Muniyappa was eight-under through 11 holes before he tripped with bogeys on the third and eighth. He made four conversions from a range of 15 to 25 feet and made an excellent recovery from the trees on the 15th to extract a birdie there.
Panchkula’s Angad Cheema, Mukesh Kumar of Mhow, Bengaluru’s Chikkarangappa and the Chandigarh duo of Karandeep Kochhar and Akshay Sharma, the winner of the last tournament in Noida, were all in tied third place with matching scores of five-under-67.
Defending champion Honey Baisoya of Delhi was in tied 10th with a score of 69 while Vikrant Chopra’s 70 made him the highest-placed Noida golfer as he was tied 16th.
Leaderboard
17. Apr.
Round 2.
Leader: SHAMIM KHAN and C MUNIYAPPA
Score: 135. (-9)
Noida, 17 Apr 2019
Shamim Khan and C Muniyappa grab the joint lead on day two of Delhi-NCR Open 2019
Delhi’s Shamim Khan and Bengaluru’s C Muniyappa grabbed the joint second round lead at nine-under-135 at the TATA Steel PGTI’s Delhi-NCR Open 2019 at the Noida Golf Course (NGC) on Wednesday.
Shamim, a two-time winner at the NGC, shot the second round’s best score of six-under-66 while Muniyappa fired a three-under-69.
Bengalurean Chikkarangappa, an Asian Tour regular, brought in a card of 69 to be placed third at eight-under-136 at the halfway stage of the Rs. 30 lakh event.
The tournament witnessed pleasant weather for the second successive day as a result of the overcast conditions. However, rain and lightning in the second half of the day led to a 25-minute stoppage in play. There was also a 10-minute dust storm which preceded the rain.
The cut came down at two-over-146. Fifty-one professionals and one amateur made the cut.
Shamim Khan (69-66) moved up nine spots from his overnight tied 10th as a result of his flawless second round effort. Khan, a winner of 14 events on the PGTI, was just one-under through his first seven holes on Wednesday before he picked up the pace with consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth. On the eighth he played a brilliant bunker shot that landed a foot from the flag while on the ninth he sank a 15-footer.
Shamim then earned three more birdies on the back-nine after landing it close on the 13th, chipping-in on the 16th and draining it from 21 feet on the 18th.
Khan said, “My confidence with the putter has been low in recent times. But my putting average was much better today and that led to the good score. I also capitalized after landing it really close on a few occasions.
“I’ve already posted two top-10s this year and my scores have been consistent so now it’s just a matter of putting four good rounds together. I’m always confident of playing well at NGC as I’ve won here on two previous occasions. I feel that I’m now well-placed to consolidate over the last two days,” added Shamim, who won his last PGTI event in November 2018 in Digboi, Assam.
C Muniyappa (66-69) rolled in putts at will on day two as five of his six birdies were a result of conversions from a range of 15 to 25 feet. He also dropped three bogeys. Muniyappa thus gained one position from his overnight second place.
Muniyappa said, “It was all about my putting today as I kept finding the hole. I’ve managed to go back to my old golf swing and that has also been very reassuring. I had a solid back-nine today with two birdies and no errors and that has given me the added confidence going into the last two days.”
Chikkarangappa’s six birdies and three bogeys saw him move within one shot of the lead at eight-under-136.
Kolkata’s Shankar Das, the first round leader, slipped to fourth place at six-under-138 after he shot a 73.
Defending champion Honey Baisoya of Delhi occupied tied 11th place at three-under-141.
Gaurav Pratap Singh was the best-placed among the Noida golfers. He was tied 14th at two-under-142.
Harshjeet Singh Sethie of Noida was the only amateur to make the cut. He was tied 37th at one-over-145.
Leaderboard
18. Apr.
Round 3.
Leader: CHIKKARANGAPPA S and C MUNIYAPPA
Score: 203. (-13)
Noida, 18 Apr 2019
Chikkarangappa produces day’s best, storms into joint third round lead along with C Muniyappa at Delhi-NCR Open 2019
Chikkarangappa produced the day’s best score of five-under-67 to storm into the joint lead at 13-under-203 along with fellow Bengalurean and good friend C Muniyappa (68) in round three of the TATA Steel PGTI’s Delhi-NCR Open 2019 being played at the Noida Golf Course (NGC).
Chikkarangappa (67-69-67), who bagged two titles on the PGTI over the past six months, moved up two positions from his overnight third place while former Indian Open champion Muniyappa (66-69-68) held on to the joint lead for the second day in succession at the Rs. 30 lakh event.
Delhi’s Shamim Khan, the joint halfway leader, as well as Kolkata’s Shankar Das were in tied third, three shots adrift of the lead.
Gaurav Pratap Singh (68) was the highest-placed Noida golfer at the end of day three as he occupied tied sixth place at six-under-210.
After two days of overcast conditions and brief spells of dust storm and rain, the NGC witnessed perfect golfing conditions on Thursday as there was bright sunshine, pleasant weather and a cool breeze that swept across the course.
Chikkarangappa, lying one off the lead at the halfway stage, got off to a terrific start in round three as he birdied the first two holes. After a bogey on the third, the two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), got his round back on track with two more birdies on the fourth and sixth.
The 25-year-old Chikka had another blip on the 11th where he found the trees and as a result dropped a bogey. However, the 11-time winner on the PGTI, came roaring back with a 25-feet eagle conversion on the 14th and an impressive two-putt birdie on the par-5 17th.
Chikka said, “I started well today as I hit some good tee shots, landed it close to the holes and made my putts on the front-nine. Then somehow I felt that I lost some momentum and energy from the eighth to the 12th.
“At that point I told my caddie that I had to pick up at least three more birdies in the round. As it turned out, I earned an eagle and a birdie and thus achieved my target of gaining three shots.
“I’ve been in good form for some time now as every aspect of my game has been shaping up well since late last year. I’m also happy to see Muniyappa playing some solid golf. It’ll be a great contest tomorrow as both of us play a lot of practice rounds together back home in Bengaluru.”
C Muniyappa, who has not won a title since his memorable Indian Open triumph in 2009, benefitted from a hot putter for the second day running as he knocked in four birdies from a distance of 10 to 25 feet.
The 42-year-old Muniyappa, who made a solitary bogey during his round, finished the day on a high as he landed his bunker shot within a foot of the pin for birdie on the 17th. Muniyappa, a winner of two titles, also made an outstanding par save on the 18th where he landed his third shot from 130 yards to a distance of one foot from the flag once again.
Muniyappa said, “It’s good to be in the final day leadergroup after a long time. I’m very confident of my putting at the moment especially the long putts. That definitely gives me a good chance in the final round. I’ve waited very long for a win so I need to grab all the opportunities that come my way in round four.
“I look forward to playing alongside with my good friend Chikka for the second straight day. We’ve played a lot of golf together so there will be a healthy rivalry on the course.”
Shamim Khan dropped from the overnight joint lead to tied third after firing a 71 that took his total to 10-under-206. Shankar Das carded a 68 to also take a share of third place.
Delhi’s Harshjeet Singh Sethie, the only amateur to make the cut, was placed tied 39th at two-over-218.
Leaderboard
19. Apr.
FINAL ROUND
WINNER (Playoff): CHIKKARANGAPPA S
Score: 272. (-1)
Noida, 19 Apr 2019
Chikkarangappa keeps enviable playoff record intact, prevails over C Muniyappa to claim Delhi-NCR Open 2019 title; Chikka now leads PGTI Order of Merit
Chikkarangappa S kept his enviable playoff record intact as he stole a march over fellow Bengalurean and good friend C Muniyappa to lift his 13th career title at the TATA Steel PGTI’s Delhi-NCR Open 2019 played at the Noida Golf Course (NGC).
Chikkarangappa (67-69-67-69) triumphed over Muniyappa (66-69-68-69) on the fourth playoff hole after both the golfers ended the regulation 72 holes with identical totals of 16-under-272 at the Rs. 30 lakh event.
Chikkarangappa thus bagged his third title in the last six months and moved up from second to first position in the PGTI Order of Merit. The 25-year-old Chikka has now won all of his five playoff encounters on the PGTI.
Incidentally, on Friday, the record for the longest-running playoff on the PGTI was matched. The only previous instance of a playoff lasting four extra holes on the PGTI was during the PGTI Players Championship also played at the Noida Golf Course in 2013.
Chikkarangappa and Muniyappa began the final round as joint leaders, three ahead of the rest of the field. It seemed to be a two-horse race from the very start as both the players matched shot for shot and maintained a comfortable lead over the others.
It was all square till the eighth as both players, who incidentally sat next to each other and had a long talk on the flight to Delhi earlier this week, were four-under through that stretch. Chikka had a moment of brilliance on the second where he hit his approach through the trees and landed it within three feet for a birdie.
On a dramatic day, the first twist came on the ninth when former Indian Open champion Muniyappa found the trees and thereby dropped a bogey. He conceded another bogey on the 10th to fall back by two shots. But just as Chikka was looking the favourite, his drive on the 15th landed out of bounds and led to a double-bogey thus restoring parity between Muniyappa and him.
Chikka, who had recently recommended his swing coach, the Pune-based Laurence Brotheridge, to Muniyappa, once again snatched the lead with a birdie on the 17th courtesy an outstanding second shot. However, Muniyappa fought back with his splendid approach and a six-foot conversion on the 18th that earned him a birdie and took the match into a playoff.
The stalemate continued on the first three playoff holes (all played on the 18th) as there were no birdie opportunities created. Finally, Chikka sealed it on the fourth extra hole with superb wedge shot from 150 yards that landed seven feet from the flag. Muniyappa stumbled on the fourth as his approach missed the green and the subsequent chip was way short of the hole. Chikka went on to birdie the hole and register his first win at NGC.
Chikka said, “I’m delighted to win at the NGC on my return to this venue after five years. I did the basics well this week. I was very good off the tee and found most fairways. It’s just amazing to win my third title since November and my second this year.
“Last year I felt that I was stagnated and needed to lift my game. That’s when I got the opportunity to learn a lot of new things from my swing coach. That helped get my game back on track.
“I was quite confident of maintaining the advantage till the end after Muniyappa made those two bogeys today. But I made a bad decision by going for the driver on the 15th that cost me a double-bogey.
“Once in the playoff, my confidence returned thanks to my great playoff record. I’m just in a different zone during playoffs as I feel quite relaxed even though I approach it like a challenge. For me, a playoff also feels like an extension of my practice session.
“I’m very pleased for Muniyappa with whom I have played a lot of golf. His game is looking very good at the moment and he is not far from a victory.”
Chikka’s winning cheque of Rs. 4,84,950 helped him overtake Rashid Khan and move into the lead in the PGTI Order of Merit with his tally of season’s earnings reading Rs. 21,21,503.
Delhi’s Shamim Khan finished third at 12-under-276.
Gaurav Pratap Singh had the best finish among the Noida golfers as he secured tied 18th at three-under-285.
Delhi’s Harshjeet Singh Sethie, the only amateur to make the cut, won the prize for the best performance by an amateur. Sethie claimed tied 31st place at two-over-290.
Final Results
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