January 08, 2025 10:17 pm (IST)
Udayjit Bhalotia scripts brilliant win at Tata Steel Jharkhand Juniors Challenge
Jamshedpur, Aug 7 (IBNS): Udayjit Bhalotia showed tremendous temperament to card a one-over par 72 for the day and emerge victorious at the Tata Steel Jharkhand Juniors Challenge 2014 played here at the Par-71 Golmuri Club Golf Course.
He won the seventh leg of the Tata Steel East Zone Feeder & Sub Junior Tour by a comfortable three strokes over Bibek Sardar, who managed to win the Category B title.
Hassan Rahman Khandokar completed the podium places when he shot a three-over 74 for the day and an eleven-over 153 followed by local lad Sharif Khan, who lost out on the third place on count back. Joint overnight leader Kunal Naidu finished fifth followed by another local Rohit Kumar Bouri six strokes behind at 159.
Bhalotia, who began the day trailing overnight leaders Sardar and Naidu by two strokes, had a steady start with a hat trick of pars on the opening three holes.
On the Par 4 4th hole, he made his only mistake on the front nine where he had a bogey 5 but Sardar’s double bogey on the same hole meant he went within one stroke of Sardar with Naidu leading by two strokes after four holes.
While Bhalotia got back to the basics of making pars, Naidu dropped strokes on the 6th and the 8th while Sardar had another double bogey on the 6th to fall one stroke behind Naidu and Bhalotia at the turn.
The three-way battle intensified when a double bogey by Bhalotia on the 10th pegged him back two behind Naidu and one behind Sardar. What followed was brilliant championship winning golf from Bhalotia who made birdie on the 11th to put the pressure right back on Naidu and Sardar.
He made another birdie on the Par 4 13th hole to grab the solo lead for the first time this week while Naidu’s challenge faded away with a double bogey 6 on the 12th followed by bogeys on the 13th, 16th and 17th before rounding off with a birdie 4 on the 18th hole. Sardar to only delay the inevitable but had telling bogey 4s on the 14th and 16th holes as Bhalotia pulled clear and rolled in five consecutive pars to card an even-par 35 back nine to take the championship at a gross of seven-over par 149.
Unlike the Junior Boys, Category C title was another comfortable win for Sandeep Kumar Yadav who carded a two-over par 73 to win by as many as seventeen strokes at a gross of nine-over par 151. Rajib Ali took the runners up place with a gross of 168 followed by Abhikanks Basu in third one stroke behind. Jamshedpur lads Rayyan Habib and Irhaam Zuhayr were placed 4th and 5th respectively with scores of 217 and 218.
Category D saw Joysurjo Dey motor along to a six-stroke victory over Kaushal Bagrodia after he brought in a card of fifteen-over 86 for the day and a winning gross of 176. Suveer Kapoor followed in third place a further six trokes behind from Bagrodia at 188 gross. Local lads Biren Kumar and Aryan Gautam were placed 6th and 7th respectively with scores of 209 and 220.
Top Scores (Final):
Category A & B:
149 Udayjit Bhalotia (77,72); 152 Bibek Sardar (B) (75,77); 153 Hassan Rahman Khandokar (B) (79,74), Sharif Khan (79,74), Kunal Naidu (75,78); 159 Rohit Kumar Bouri (82,77); 160 Karan Verma (81,79); 161 Mohd. Rohit (83,79), Rajvir Randhawa (B) (79,82); 162 Bishwam Ghosh (85,77)
Category B:
152 Bibek Sardar (75,77); 153 Hassan Rahman Khandokar (79,74); 161 Rajvir Randhawa (79,82); 168 Manish Rajak (83,85); 176 Arshad Ali (88,88)
Category C:
151 Sandeep Kumar Yadav (78,73); 168 Rajib Ali (82,86); 169 Abhikanks Basu (82,87); 217 Rayyan Habib (104,113); 218 Irhaam Zuhayr (100,118)
Category D:
176 Joysurjo Dey (90,86); 182 Kaushal Bagrodia (88,94); 188 Suveer Kapoor (101,87); 189 Subham Adak (92,97); 203 Rakshik Basu (100,103)
Category E:
93 Garv Lakhani (48,45); 102 Maitreya Milan Saikia (53,49); 126 Vighnesh Naidu (68,58)
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