For a brief moment, as he came up with successive bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes in the final round on Saturday, Syed Saqib Ahmed felt his title chances slipping away in the PGTI Cochin Masters.
The 24-year-old golfer from Bengaluru had produced amazing play over the last two days, including a hole-in-one at Nedumbassery’s CIAL Golf Club, but suddenly everything appeared to be going up in smoke.
He then found out from his friends that Delhi’s Honey Baisoya, his nearest challenger who had started half hour earlier, had finished with a seven under and realised that he had to buck up. And Saqib found his touch just in time, produced birdies in the last two holes, and lifted his maiden professional title.
“I really felt the pressure after the bogeys on the 15th and 16th because both the par fives are actually easy holes,” said Saqib who finished with a three-shot lead (total 278) over the pre-tournament favourite Baisoya who came second.
“But I had a birdie on the 17th, which I think is one of the toughest holes. And the 18th went like a dream, I really didn’t think I could handle it so well. This is really a big burden off my head.”
The title ended three years of waiting for Saqib. “I dedicate this, my first pro title, to my parents and to my grandfather,” said the young man and then turned emotional.
Another Bengaluru player, M. Dharma, and Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha finished joint third. V.J. Kurian, Managing Director, Cochin International Airport Limited, gave away the prizes. The Pro-Am event will be played on Sunday.
The final placings (par 288, four day total, top 10): 1. Syed Saqib Ahmed (278), 2. Honey Baisoya (281), 3. M. Dharma & Abhijit Singh Chadha (both 283), 5. Ankur Chadha (284), 6. Veer Ahlawat, Maniram, Gaurav Pratap Singh (all 285), 9. Arjun Prasad & Karandeep Kochhar (286).
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