Anshul crowned golf meet champion

Anshul Mishra of West Bengal overpowered a tough challenge by Karnataka’s Varun Muthappa to win the Indian Golf Union (IGU) 123rd Amateur Championship of India at the Chandigarh Golf Club today.

The match was played over 36 holes with a 15 minute break after 18 holes. 16-year-old, Mishra started strong and took the early lead in the match. He made a par on the third hole to go 1-up in the match. Muthappa made a brilliant birdie on the sixth hole by sinking a 30-foot putt to force the score at par. After 14 holes, Muthappa held a steady lead by being 2-Up.

However, Mishra played some outstanding golf to birdie holes 16,17 & 18 to go 1-up after 18 holes. Mishra continued playing steady golf for the next few holes to extend his lead to 5-Up after 28 holes. Muthappa made a par on the 29th hole and 30th hole to recover to being three down after 30 holes. He was looking set to win hole 31 as well by making a simple birdie.

Mishra, however, made a brilliant up and down shot from 100 yards away to halve the hole with Muthappa. Mishra finally won the prestigious championship on the 33rd hole of the round 4 & 3 and grabbed his hand on the 123-year-old iconic trophy.

Earlier, in semifinals, Muthappa overpowered local contender Ayaan Gupta. The match witnessed many birdies and great shots. In the second semifinal, Chandigarh’s Anant Singh Alahwat of Chandigarh went down against Mishra. The final of the championship will take place at the Chandigarh Golf Club, and will see the youngsters Muthappa and Mishra battling out to be crowned the All India Amateur Champion of the year.

The CGC hosted the event after a gap of 15 years. As many as 15 local golfers participated in the event including, Harjai Milkha Singh, Jaiveer Kang, Ransher Randhawa, Neel Jolly and Jai Gupta. As many as 32 golfers made the cut.