Shankar Das Wins Telangana Golconda Masters with Amazing Birdie Spree
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 30: Shankar Das, a professional golfer from Kolkata, achieved a stunning victory at the Telangana Golconda Masters held at the Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA). Das, who started the final round tied for third place, delivered an incredible performance with a score of 64, securing a three-shot win and his eighth professional title.
Shankar Das, the 2014 PGTI Order of Merit champion, finished the tournament with a total score of 18-under 262. His victory ended a seven-year-long drought and earned him a prize money cheque worth Rs 15 lakh, boosting his position from 42nd to 14th in the 2024 PGTI Ranking.
Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema, who was the overnight joint leader, finished as the runner-up with a score of 15-under 265. This was Angad’s sixth top-10 and second runner-up finish of the season, solidifying his fourth place in the PGTI Ranking. Gurugram golfer Veer Ahlawat secured third place with a score of 14-under 266, further strengthening his lead in the PGTI Order of Merit.
Shankar Das’s victory was remarkable as he started the tournament tied for 67th place after the first round. He then delivered three consecutive rounds of 64, with a phenomenal start in the final round, scoring seven birdies on the front nine. His exceptional wedge-play and an eight-feet birdie on the 13th hole sealed his victory.
Shankar expressed his joy, saying, “It was an incredible day for me, and I knew such a round was just around the corner as I had been practising very hard. My driving and chipping were exceptional today.” He also mentioned that playing with a free mind, after recovering from a back injury and his wife’s health issues, helped his game. He thanked his new caddie, Debashish, for his support.
Angad Cheema struggled to keep up with Das on the final day, with his eagle and four birdies being offset by three bogeys and a double-bogey. Delhi’s Shamim Khan made a hole-in-one on the ninth hole during his final round of 62, the day’s lowest score, finishing tied for 10th place at 10-under 270. Hyderabad-based professional Mohd Azhar ended tied for 29th place at five-under 275.
Doubts Revealed
Shankar Das -: Shankar Das is a professional golfer from Kolkata, a city in India. He plays in golf tournaments and has won several titles.
Telangana Golconda Masters -: The Telangana Golconda Masters is a golf tournament held in Hyderabad, a city in the Indian state of Telangana. Golfers compete to win prizes and titles.
Hyderabad Golf Association -: The Hyderabad Golf Association is a club or organization in Hyderabad that manages golf activities and tournaments.
Final round of 64 -: In golf, a ’round’ is a complete game of 18 holes. A ‘final round of 64’ means Shankar Das took 64 shots to complete the final 18 holes, which is a very good score.
18-under 262 -: In golf, ’18-under’ means the player scored 18 shots less than the standard number of shots (par) for the course. ‘262’ is the total number of shots he took over all rounds.
Rs 15 lakh -: Rs 15 lakh means 1.5 million rupees, which is a large amount of money in India. It is the prize money Shankar Das won.
2024 PGTI Ranking -: PGTI stands for Professional Golf Tour of India. The ranking shows how well golfers are performing in the tour. Shankar Das is now 14th in this ranking for 2024.
Runner-up -: The runner-up is the person who finishes in second place in a competition. In this case, Angad Cheema was the runner-up.
Wedge-play -: Wedge-play refers to using a type of golf club called a wedge, which is good for short, high shots. Shankar Das used this club very well.
Caddie -: A caddie is a person who carries a golfer’s clubs and gives advice during the game. Shankar Das’s new caddie is named Debashish.