Kolkata Challenge golf: England’s Joshua Berry caps dream week with playoff victory

Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) Nineteen-year-old Englishman Joshua Berry capped a dream week with a playoff victory at the USD 3,00,000 Kolkata Challenge 2025 played at the revered Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).
 

Joshua Berry (72-62-70-73), who set the course record of 10-under 62 earlier in round two, returned an ordinary one-over 73 in regulation play on the last day to total 11-under 277 along with three other players, Norway’s Andreas Halvorsen (69-66-71-71), Austria’s Lukas Nemecz (67-70-68-72) and India’s Om Prakash Chouhan (66-68-73-70).

The four players headed into a playoff where Joshua finally triumphed with a dramatic 19-feet birdie conversion on the second extra hole.

The trio of Halvorsen, Nemecz and Chouhan thus finished joint runners-up. While Chouhan, who struggled with his short putts all day, bowed out after missing a three-footer for par on the first playoff hole, Halvorsen and Nemecz lost out to Berry on the second playoff hole.

Chouhan’s tied second finish earned him a cheque worth Rs 20,64,000 that pushed him up 41 places to third position in the PGTI Order of Merit 2025.

Teenager Joshua Berry, the overnight leader by one shot, had a slow start to the day as he conceded two bogeys on the front-nine. Joshua then made a crucial tap-in birdie on the 15th to climb into contention. Berry made par on the first playoff hole along with Halvorsen and Nemecz. The Englishman then nailed his 19-feet birdie conversion on the second playoff hole to emerge champion.

Joshua, who won his maiden HotelPlanner Tour title, said, “I didn’t have the best of rounds today but I guess I earned the reward for staying patient till the end and keeping my emotions together. All parts of my game fired this week and I was particularly sharp with the mental aspect of my game.

“I’m absolutely buzzing. This win is important and it’s good for my confidence as well. I know I can do it now, which I think is the key thing.

“I did feel some nerves but that’s what you practice for. I’m looking forward to watching that putt in the play-off back.

“You’ve always got to be confident going into a play-off but obviously it’s nerve-racking. You really want to win, and I just tried to hit one good shot at a time. Luckily, I holed that putt on the second extra hole. It’s a game of such fine margins.”

Thirty-eight-year-old Chouhan, who was tied fifth and three off the lead after round three, couldn’t get his putting rhythm going on Sunday as he missed short putts to drop two bogeys on the front-nine in exchange for just one birdie.

Chouhan, a former winner on the HotelPlanner Tour and at the RCGC in 2023, had a far better back-nine where he scored three birdies including a tap-in on the 11th and a 10-feet conversion on the 13th to move into contention.

Chouhan, who was the sole leader for a few holes on the back-nine, then missed a golden opportunity for victory on the 18th where his 15-feet putt for birdie lipped-out.

On the first playoff hole, Chouhan missed out on another short putt conversion from three feet that cost him a bogey and put him out of contention.

Chouhan said, “I once again struck the ball well, landing it within five feet for three of my birdies today. But the rhythm of my putting stroke continued to elude me. That resulted in a few missed short putts which turned out to be decisive.

“It was one of those days when things didn’t go as per plan. I was quite disappointed about missing out on the win after getting into contention towards the end.”

SSP Chawrasia and Samarth Dwivedi shot scores of 67 to make major gains on the final day. While SSP jumped 18 spots to secure sixth place at nine-under 279, Samarth moved up 22 spots to end the week in tied seventh position at eight-under 280.