Thaindian News

Pune, July 2 (IANS) Anirban Lahiri recorded a comfortable six-stroke win at the Aircel PGTI Players Championship as he shot a five-under 67 in the final round at Oxford Golf and Country Club here Friday.

Lahiri ended up with a total of 21-under 267 to claim his fourth title on the Aircel PGTI while Himmat Singh Rai totalled 15-under 273 to finish as the runner-up.

Lahiri (65-68-67-67) set the tone for his final round with birdies on the first three holes. He performed exceptionally with the putter as he sank birdie putts from 25 feet and 15 feet on the first and third holes respectively.

Lahiri was five strokes ahead of his nearest rival Rai at the turn and had all but sealed it at that stage. He made four birdies against two bogeys on the back nine to sail to a comfortable victory.

Lahiri said: “I performed well in all aspects of the game today. My hitting was quite good and I sank some long putts as well. This has been a really good week for me as I never lost focus as far as my targets were concerned. It’s been a delight playing on this golf course since it suits my style of play.

“The key in the final round was to be aggressive from the very start. I managed to do that and achieved the desired results with birdies on the first three holes. I would now like to carry forward this form into the Asian Tour events.”

Rai (66-69-67-71) shot a one-under 71 in the final round to post a creditable second place finish. He got off to a slow start with bogeys on the third and fourth but then pulled it back, thanks to four birdies against a lone bogey from the fifth through the 18th.

Digvijay Singh fired a 67 in the final round to finish third at 10 under 278 while Shamim Khan was fourth at eight under 280 and C. Muniyappa a stroke behind in fifth place.

Gaganjeet Bhullar and Mukesh Kumar shared 12th place at three under 285. Gurki Shergill had the best finish among the professionals from Pune. His three over 291 total helped him secure 25th place.

Amish Jaitha of Pune, the lone amateur to make the cut, won the trophy for the best amateur as he ended the week with a total of seven over 295. He finished in tied 32nd position.