After nervy victory, Gangjee confident of Asian Tour return
Selangor (Malaysia), June 22
Rahil Gangjee won the Selangor Masters despite six bogeys in his 3-over 73 on the final day as he prevailed over Deyen Lawson (69) by one shot. The 45-year-old, who had started the day with a five-shot lead, finished at 8-under for the wire-to-wire win.
I lost my Asian Tour card last year, went to Q-School and didn’t get it back. I wasn’t really in the best shape. I have been playing well back home, but my goal is to get my Asian Tour card back via the ADT. — Rahil Gangjee
It was Gangjee’s second win on the Asian Development Tour after his 2018 success at Louis Philippe Cup in India. He has two Asian Tour wins — in the 2004 Volkswagen Masters in Beijing and the 2018 Panasonic Open in Japan.
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Gangjee’s five-shot lead disappeared within a matter of holes in overcast conditions as he was unable to find the form that he seemed to have had since Round 1.
With three bogeys in his first nine and another on the 10th, he soon found himself neck and neck with Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong. Local rising star Marcus Lim and Australia’s Deyen Lawson were breathing down his neck and just one shot behind.
Gangjee was able to birdie the par-3 12th and the par-5 13th to stay ahead. Another birdie came on the 16th. By the time he reached the 17th tee, Runchanapong had dropped away with a double bogey on the 16th and only Lawson was left, two shots behind. Lawson birdied the 17th to the cut the deficit to one shot, but bogeys on the final hole for both the golfers meant Gangjee walked away with the top prize.
“Having a five-shot lead has got its own challenges. You think it’s going to be easy, but there are certain nerves that show up that you don’t expect,” Gangjee said.
“Having said that, I think also I had a good head on my shoulders today. I just kept it down and kept going through. Played one shot at a time and kept believing in myself,” he added.
Gangjee said the win was a “great stepping stone” for him to get back on the Asian Tour. “I lost my Asian Tour card last year, went to Q-School and didn’t get it back. I wasn’t really in the best shape. I have been playing well back home and am now ranked No. 3 in the Order of Merit, but my goal is to get my Asian Tour card back via the ADT,” he added.
