Uttarakhand Lions rally to win the inaugural Pearls Golf Premier League; Nippon Kenwood Delhi Darts, Witalsee Punjab Lancers second

Aamby Valley, February 10: Darren Clarke, one of the most successful players in team competitions and a many-time hero at the Ryder Cup, and Mukesh Kumar, one of the most successful golfers of all times in Indian golf, pooled in their amazing experience and carried Uttarakhand Lions alongwith Chapchai Nirat and Shankar Das to a memorable win in a nail-biting finish in the inaugural Pearls Golf Premier League in association with Aamby Valley City on Sunday.

Uttarakhand Lions, who were third overnight and seven shots adrift of leaders Witalsee Punjab Lancers and five behind second-placed Nippon Kenwood Delhi Darts, zoomed to the top at 34-under. Witalsee Punjab Lancers and Nippon Kenwood Delhi Darts were tied for second at 33-under, while Shubhkamna UP Eagles ended fourth at 32-under despite an incredible and best-of-the-day 11-under by Anirban Lahiri and Shamim Khan.

Uttarakhand Lions were powered by sterling performances from the Clarke-Chapchai and the Mukesh-Shankar combinations. Clarke, a five time member of the European Ryder Cup team, who has also played World Cup and Alfred Dunhill Cup for Ireland, and Chapchai soared on the wings a dramatic eagle and seven birdies for nine-under in the 14-hole round.

Mukesh and Shankar were eight-under with two holes to play, before they bogeyed the 13^th, the penultimate hole, but then Mukesh birdied the final par-3, which has a beach bunker and hauled his team atop the leaderboard.

Uttarakhand Lions’ duo Clarke and Chapchai, had two groups behind them when they finished at 34-under. They then sat in the marquee facing the closing hole and watched Delhi Darts and Witalsee Punjab Lancers failed to find a birdie on the last, leaving them stranded at 33-under.

Delhi Darts’ pair of Rahil Gangjee and Scott Barr had two unlucky breaks, which may well have cost them the title. First Barr’s tee shot on the third found a sprinkler in the middle of the fairway and went into the trees and then managed only a par on the par-5 where a birdie is what most others got. Then on the 14^th, the final hole, Gangjee sitting on a 12-footer for birdie, suddenly saw his ball move after addressing it. That cost him a stroke and Barr’s par was what they got for the final hole.

In the final group Johan Edfors and Ajeetesh Sandhu played with Gaganjeet Bhullar and David Howell. Edfors and Sandhu were eight-under after 12 holes and their team was 34-under, when they bogeyed the 13^th and failed to birdie the last finishing at 33-under.

Rashid Khan and Thaworn Wiratchant also bogeyed the 13^th and failed to birdie the last to finish at four-under. Bhullar and Howell played to five-under and despite brave efforts to add any birdies in the last four holes.

The day’s best score came from Shubhkamna UP Eagles pair, Anirban Lahiri and Shamim Khan, who had one eagle and nine birdies. The only holes they failed to birdie were second, fourth, 10^th and 12^th holes. With the other Shubhkamna pair of Daniel Chopra and Michael Campbell managing only five-under the team finished fourth at 32-under, one behind the tied second and two behind the winners.

The prizes were given away by Mr. K K Bakshi, CEO of Pearls, and Col S K Sinha, the General Manager of Aamby Valley City.

The event is being played over 14 holes with a total par of 55 at Aamby Valley Golf Course

Holes: 14; Par 55

Final Team scores

406 (34-under):       Uttarakhand Lions

407 (33-under):       Witalsee Punjab Lancers

407 (33-under):       Nippon Kenwood Delhi Darts

408 (32-under):       Shubhkamna UP Eagles

417: (23-under):      Maharashtra 59ers

422 (18-under):       Tamilnadu Pullees and Gujarat Underdawgs

423 (17-under):       Colombo 6s

Scores of the final day:

SHAMIM KHAN / ANIRBAN LAHIRI            Shubhkamna U.P. Eagles       44 (-11)

DARREN CLARKE/CHAPCHAI NIRAT           Uttarakhand Lions                 46 (-9)

ANGEL CABRERA / ASHOK KUMAR           Maharashtra 59ers                47 (-8)

MUKESH KUMAR/SHANKAR DAS               Uttarakhand Lions                 47 (-8)

PARIYA  J / J. SANDELIN                             Gujarat Underdawgs            48 (-7)

JOHAN EDFORS / AJEETESH SANDHU         Nippon Kenwood Delhi Darts      48 (-7)

DAVID HOWELL/GAGANJEET BHULLAR     Witalsee Punjab Lancers       50 (-5)

SHIV KAPUR / SCOTT HEND                       Maharashtra 59ers                50 (-5)

DIGVIJAY SINGH / GAURAV GHEI             Gujarat Underdawgs            51 (-4)

CHIRAGH KUMAR/SIMON DYSON            Colombo 6's                          51 (-4)

DANIEL CHOPRA/MICHAEL CAMPBELL    Shubhkamna U.P. Eagles       51 (-4)

RAHIL GANGJEE/SCOTT BARR                   Nippon Kenwood Delhi Darts      51 (-4)

RASHID KHAN/THAWORN WIRATCHANT   Witalsee Punjab Lancers       51 (-4)

MITHUN PERERA/JASON KNUTZON           Colombo 6's                          52 (-3)

SIDDIKUR / HARENDRA GUPTA                  Tamilnadu Pullees                  53 (-2)

RICH BEEM / HIMMAT RAI                        Tamilnadu Pullees                  53 (-2)

Leading individual scores (two rounds):

99: Gaganjeet Bhullar Witalsee Punjab Lancers) (52-47) and Anirban Lahiri (Shubhkamna UP Eagles) (51-58)

101: 51-50 Rahil Gangjee (Nippon Kenwood Delhi Darts) (51-50), Scott Hend (Maharashtra 59ers) (51-50); Johan Edfors (Nippon Kenwood Delhi Darts) (49-52)

103: Pariya J (Kensville Gujarat Underdawgs) (56-47); Rashid Khan (Witalsee Punjab Lancers) (54-49);

104: David Howell (Witalsee Punjab Lancers) (53-51);

105: Mithun Perera (Colombo 6s) (54-51)

107: Shankar Das (Uttarakhand Lions) (51-56)