Delhi golfer Sachin Baisoya wins Jeev Milkha Singh invitational trophy
Chandigarh, November 5
Delhi’s Sachin Baisoya played a flawless final round of 5-under 67 to outclass his nearest rivals and take home the trophy at the Rs 1.5 crore Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational at the Chandigarh Golf Club.
Baisoya (66-68-71-67), lying overnight second and three off the lead, produced three birdies and an eagle in round four to end up with a tournament total of 16-under 272. The 28-year-old, who bagged his second career title and also his second of the season, walked away with the winning cheque for Rs 22,50,000 that moved him up from the third to second position in the TATA Steel PGTI Ranking. Baisoya trails close friend Om Prakash (leader) in the ranking.
Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha (70-66-70-67) also brought in an error-free card of 67, to move up one spot and end the week in tied-second at 15-under 273 as the highest-placed local golfer. Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain (65-68-69-71), the overnight leader by three shots, returned a 71 to slip one spot today and ended up as the joint runner-up at 15-under 273 along with Chadha.
Baisoya struck the ball and putted like a dream as he garnered birdies on the third, fifth and ninth, the last two from a range of 12 to 15 ft, to catch up with Jamal. Baisoya, who also made as many as four quality par saves during his round, surged ahead after his eagle conversion from 25 ft on the 13th. Later, there was no looking back for him.
“At the start of the day, I just told myself to focus, play my own game and not get too aggressive and the birdies will come themselves that will in turn help me wipe out the lead. That’s exactly what happened. Then after the eagle on the 13th, I was in a very relaxed frame of mind,” said Baisoya.
Indian golf legend and tournament host Jeev Milkha Singh (72-70-72-73) closed the week in tied-37th at 1-under 287. While local challenger Aadil Bedi ended up tied-13th with a total of 7-under, Chandigarh’s K Raghav Bhandari finished as the best performing amateur on the 43rd place at 1-over 289.
