Karandeep on a career high, finishes tied second in Delhi

CHANDIGARH:Just two weeks after finishing fourth at his pro debut 18yearold Karandeep Kochhar finished tiedsecond in the Panasonic Open at the Delhi Golf Club today

Updated At : 08:15 AM Nov 06, 2017 IST

Karandeep Kochhar finished tied second with Ajeetesh, SSP Chawrasia and Om Prakash. File Photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 5

Just two weeks after finishing fourth at his pro debut, 18-year-old Karandeep Kochhar finished tied-second in the Panasonic Open at the Delhi Golf Club today.

Kochhar, who finished fourth in the TAKE Open Golf Championship in Chandigarh, finished second alongside six others, which included Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, SSP Chawrasia (69), Sudhir Sharma and Om Prakash Chouhan (69). He became the youngest golfer from the city to achieve this feat. He made four birdies and an eagle in his round of 66.

“I am happy with this feat. These back-to-back finishes are great. I am happy to finish alongside the best golfers,” said Kochhar. Kochhar fired a flawless 66 to gain six places on the final day. Kochhar finished at 14-under with rounds of 71-68-69-66.

He had just a bogey and a triple-bogey during the tournament. He closed the week with a flourish, chipping-in for an eagle on the 14th and converting a 30-footer for birdie on the 18th hole. “I made 14 birdies, two eagles to get up to second. The final day went really well and I was playing confidently. The conditions were also favourable. I have played here earlier so having knowledge of the greens helped me to adapt to the conditions quickly,” added Kochhar.

“I will now be playing in the PGTI circuit in Assam, Jamshedpur, Kolkata and Mumbai. Kolkata and Mumbai are among the major tournaments as the winners there will purse nearly one crore in prize money. Next Sunday, I will be participating in the Bangalore Open. All these championships will help me prepare well ahead of my international tour, starting in January. I hope, the future championships also turn out to be good for me,” added Kochhar. Sudhir Sharma of Greater Noida and Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow also secured their best ever finishes on the Asian Tour. Sharma, who led for a major part of the final round, and Chouhan carded scores of 69 in Round 4.

Shiv Kapur clinched his first Asian Tour title in India by three strokes with a card of 4-under 68 in the final round.