Chandigarh's Abhijit finishes second

Chandigarh, September 17

Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, lifted his seventh title after he prevailed with a narrow one-shot margin during the Jaipur Open at the Rambagh Golf Club.

Chouhan (67-66-65-64), lying second and two off the lead after round three, made the most of his excellent chipping and putting form this week as he signed the best card in the last round, a 6-under 64, to finish on top at 18-under 262. Prakash bagged the winning cheque worth Rs 6 lakh. He moved up from 18th to eighth position in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha (62-69-65-67), the overnight leader by two shots, struck a flawless 67 despite the putts not rolling in for him on Saturday. He claimed the runners-up spot at 17-under 263 at the Rs 40-lakh event.

Another Chandigarh lad, Akshay Sharma (67), secured third place at 13-under 267. Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan (68) and Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain (69) finished a further shot back in tied fourth position.

Local professional Girraj Singh Khadka was tied 29th at 1-under 279. Jaipur’s Manoviraj Shekhawat, the only amateur to make the cut, finished 50th at 11-over 291. Shekhawat won the trophy for the best performing amateur.

Om Prakash Chouhan took control early in the day when he picked up five birdies on the first eight holes to move into the sole lead. Chouhan was in some sort of trouble when he made consecutive three putts for bogeys on the ninth and 10th that saw him slip back into second place behind Abhijit.