Vizag Open: Angad Cheema tops Aman Raj in playoff, ends 11-year wait for a second title

Visakhapatnam, Oct 5 (IANS) Chandigarh golfer Angad Cheema earned a just reward for his consistency this season after he kept his nerve to prevail in a pulsating playoff against Aman Raj of Patna, ending an 11-year wait for his second PGTI title in the Vizag Open 2024 played at the East Point Golf Club (EPGC) on Saturday. 

Angad Cheema (69-61-70-68), the overnight leader by three shots, struck a three-under 68 in the final round to end up with a tournament total of 16-under 268.

Cheema, who had posted six previous top-10s in the season including two runner-up finishes, had company at the top of the leaderboard after a flurry of birdies by Aman Raj (66-68-69-65) towards the end of the round saw the latter deliver the day’s best score of six-under 65 that drew him level with Angad at 16-under and took the match into a playoff. Cheema converted an eight-feet birdie putt to win the playoff and thus picked up the winning cheque worth INR 15 lakh that pushed him up from fourth to third in the TATA Steel PGTI Ranking.

Bengaluru’s Aryan Roopa Anand (67) and Gurugram’s Kartik Sharma (70) finished a distant tied third at a total of 10-under 274.

On a dramatic final day, the 34-year-old Cheema, runner-up on the PGTI last week in Hyderabad, kept a firm grip on proceedings by maintaining his lead with a comfortable three-shot margin till the 16th hole thanks to his excellent putting as four of his five birdie conversions came from a range of 12 to 20 feet. He dropped only one bogey on this stretch.

Then came a twist as Angad found the bunker and made a bogey on the 18th while Aman rallied by sinking three birdie putts from a range of 10 to 15 feet on the last four holes to draw level with Cheema. With Aman gaining momentum, the match headed into a playoff even as a slight drizzle started, to add to the drama.

The six-foot-one-inch tall Cheema then seized the initiative on the playoff hole with his exceptional tee shot and approach shot to set up an eight-footer for victory. Cheema nailed his birdie putt while Aman missed his birdie putt from 20 feet. It was Cheema’s third professional win as he now has two titles on the PGTI and one title on the PGTI Feeder Tour.

Cheema said, “It’s a great relief and a monkey off my back to finally win after so long because I had come close to victory on so many occasions in recent years and had not closed it out. I’m now looking forward to bigger things.

“My approach this season and in particular today was to just try and keep giving it my best without worrying too much about the result because that was not in my hands. It was annoying to not win despite coming close so often but nevertheless, my confidence was sky-high knowing that I was playing great golf every week and that kept me going," he said.

“Today my putter was on fire as I holed a lot of very crucial putts which kept the momentum going for me. Aman played really well to force the playoff, but it was a whole new ball game once the playoff began.

“On the playoff hole, my tee shot was crucial because I had struggled off the tees all day. After Aman hit the fairway with his drive, I knew I had to put it in play to have a good chance and that’s exactly what I did. I then played a terrific approach shot and left myself a good number on the green. My putting confidence was already high and that finally helped me sink the winning putt on the playoff hole,” said Cheema.