Manav has last laugh

Ambala-based golfer shoots a final round 68 to pip overnight leader Vikram Rana for 2nd straight title

MUMBAI: Perseverance and consistency has its rewards. Oil India’s Manav Das reaped it in full, firing a final round two-under 68 for a tally of 276 to win the LG Western India Amateur Golf title at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club here on Friday.
The event was the ninth leg on the Indian Amateur Golf Tour.

Overnight leader ONGC’s Vikram Rana, the leader for the last three days, faltered when it mattered. With a one-stroke cushion coming into the final round, Rana shot a poor 76 to finish seven strokes adrift Das in the final count. Oil India’s Abhishek Jha finished third at 289, after shooting a 68.

The trio of L Selvadurai, Gagan Verma and Abhinav Lohan finished tied-fourth at 294. While Selvadurai shot a 73, Verma and Lohan brought in identical cards of 74 each. Rudresh Sharma finished a further stroke behind in seventh place at 295 after shooting a 75 while HS Kang (70), Moin Malak (71) and Lt Col Lakra (76) finished tied-eighth at 296.

Right from the start, Das had a simple approach. He started with birdies on the first and sixth but a bogey on the seventh saw him make the turn at one-under. On the back nine, he dropped shots on the 11th and 15th but recovered to fire a birdie on the 16th and signed off with an eagle on the 18th to clinch the title.

“A good week overall. The best part was I never gave up even when the chips were down. It feels great to have back-to-back wins,” said the Ambala golfer, who also won the title at Pune last week.