Mithun Perera’s 65 powers Navratna Ahmedabad to top position Take Chennai, Puravankara Bangalore & Dev-Ellora Chandigarh complete semi-final line-up
Bangalore, March 8, 2012: Navratna
Ahmedabad finished as the highest-ranked team after day two of the
Louis Philippe Cup 2012 at the KGA golf course in Bangalore. Mithun
Perera’s sublime seven under 65 and Vikrant Chopra’s four under 68
powered the Ahmedabad team to a total of 273 for the first two rounds.
The other three teams to enter the semi-final stage along with Navratna
Ahmedabad were Take Chennai (274), Puravankara Bangalore (276) and
Dev-Ellora Chandigarh (278).
Navratna
Ahmedabad, the top-ranked team after round two, will now take on
Dev-Ellora Chandigarh which was ranked fourth, in one of the semi-final
clashes on Friday. Second-placed Take Chennai will play third-ranked
Puravankara Bangalore in the other semi-final. The teams outside the
top-4 will play for fifth to 10th position. The semi-finals
and other clashes on Friday will be played in the match-play format with
three singles matches comprising each encounter.
Navratna
Ahmedabad (140-133) sealed the top spot on Thursday after firing 11
under 133 for the day. Mithun Perera posted a 65 while Vikrant Chopra
shot a 68 to propel their team into the semis. Perera made eight birdies
against a bogey in his extraordinary round. The Sri Lankan landed shots
within three feet from over 100 yards on three occasions to set up
birdies on the fifth, 12th and 16th.
Perera
said, “I hit some good tee shots and approach shots today. I hit it
very close to the pin through the day. I’m really enjoying the
conditions over here. The only disappointment was missing a few putts
from four to five feet. I’d like to continue playing like this over the
next two days.
“The
camaraderie in the team has helped us perform to our potential. I’m
looking forward to the match-play format over the next two rounds as I
have done well in match-play in the past.”
Anura
Rohana, the other Sri Lankan in the tournament, continued his golden
run with a bogey-free 65 to guide Take Chennai (138-136) to second
position. SSP Chowrasia’s 71 meant the team finished with a second round
score of 136.
Rohana,
who had the best individual score (68) in round one, was in tremendous
chipping form as he chipped-in from the edge for birdie on the seventh
and narrowly missed eagles on two occasions when his chip shots from the
edge landed within one foot of the pin.
The
home team Puravankara Bangalore (139-137) shot a 137 on day two to be
placed third. Anirban Lahiri with seven birdies and a bogey in his round
of 66 was the star performer for Bangalore. Manav Jaini’s 71 also
contributed towards the team total.
Dev-Ellora
Chandigarh (139-139) edged out Ansal API Lucknow (140-138) for the
fourth and last semi-final spot in dramatic fashion. Chandigarh’s
Gaganjeet Bhullar (70) made a tricky chip-putt for par on the final hole
while his team-mate Harendra Gupta (69) holed a 10-footer for birdie on
the same hole to equal Lucknow’s two-day tally of 278.
Chandigarh
made it through to the last four on account of a better score by their
third player Sujjan Singh (72) as compared to Lucknow’s third player
Sanjay Kumar (74). The top two scores for Lucknow were posted by Md
Siddikur Rahman (67) and Vijay Kumar (71).
One
of the most exciting clashes slated for Friday is the match-up between
two of India’s all-time golfing greats Jeev Milkha Singh (Shubhkamana
Noida) and Jyoti Randhawa (DLF Gurgaon). These two giants of Indian golf
go head-to-head in a singles match-play encounter for the first time
ever as their respective teams fight it out for ninth and 10th positions.
In
the Intercity Pro-Am competition, DLF Gurgaon emerged winners with a
score of 566. DLF Gurgaon comprised of professionals (with their
respective scores in brackets) – Jyoti Randhawa (72), Himmat Singh Rai
(72), Digvijay Singh (72) and amateurs – Mr. Gurmehar Singh Sethi (70),
Mr. Kanwaljit Singh Cheema (71) and Mr. Manmohan Chopra (78). Navratna
Ahmedabad was placed second at 570.
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