Karandeep Kochhar claims maiden pro golf title
Sunit Chawrasia, nephew of SSP Chawrasia, broke the course record in the final round of the PGTI event at the Chandigarh Golf Club but finished second.
Karandeep Kochhar clinched his first professional title at the PGTI Players Championship in Chandigarh on Thursday. He carded a total of 18-under 270 (66-68-67-69) to win the event by two strokes.
This was Kochhar’s second win on the PGTI Tour, with the first coming back in 2016 when he was still an amateur golfer. He turned pro in 2017.
Kochhar, who hails from Chandigarh, took the lead in the second round. He sealed the win in the fourth round with birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to pull ahead of Sunit Chawrasia, who finished second.
“I’ve waited a long time for this win,” Kochhar said. “I came close to winning several times in the past... So it’s a big relief to finally cross the line and that too at my home course.
“I was very consistent through the week and made just two bogeys during the tournament. So it’s been quite a satisfying performance,” he added.
In the final round, Karandeep Kochhar faced a stiff challenge from Sunit, nephew of golfer SSP Chawrasia, who has been playing in the European Tour this season.
The 21-year-old Kochhar led by four strokes going into the final round but Sunit Chawrasia closed the gap by carding an impressive 10-under 62, a course record. However, Kochhar’s three-under 69 was enough to seal victory with a career-best finish.
Akshay Sharma, who won the previous PGTI event played at the same venue last week, finished third with a 14-under 274. Udayan Mane, meanwhile, continues to lead the merit list.
The Players Championship was the fifth tournament of the 2020-21 PGTI season, with the event offering Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.
It was played at two different courses to keep the potential spread of COVID-19 in check. The venues were the Panchkula Golf Club in Haryana and Chandigarh Golf Club, some 12kms apart.
One half of the participating golfers played their first round at Panchkula while the other half teed off their opening round in Chandigarh. The two sets of golfers switched venues for the second round. The third and fourth rounds were played at Chandigarh.
The Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational is the next event on the PGTI calendar, starting December 3.