Veer crowned PGTI Ranking champion, Shaurya wins emerging player honour

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Jamshedpur, Dec 22 (IANS) It was double delight for Gurugram’s Veer Ahlawat on Sunday. The 28-year-old Veer, who had already sealed the No. 1 spot in the PGTI Ranking before the final event of the 2024 PGTI season, also stole the show with the day’s best score of seven-under 64 and a playoff victory against Amardeep Malik to clinch the season-ending Championship, Rs 3 crore event, played at the Beldih and Golmuri Golf Courses in Jamshedpur.

Veer Ahlawat (67-68-68-64) prevailed over Amardeep Malik (67-64-71-65) on the second playoff hole after the two players were tied in first position at 17-under 267 at the end of the regulation 72 holes.

Sri Lankan N Thangaraja (67) claimed third place at 16-under 268 while Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Sandhu (67) and two-time Tour Championship winner Udayan Mane (70) of Pune finished tied fourth at 14-under 270.

Indian star and two-time Tour Championship winner Gaganjeet Bhullar (69) took ninth place at 10-under 274.

Veer Ahlawat picked up the winning cheque worth Rs 45 lakh to take his season’s earnings to a whopping Rs 1,56,35,724, thus smashing the previous record for season’s earnings on the PGTI set at Rs 1,18,26,059, by Om Prakash Chouhan in 2023.

The six-foot four-inch tall Veer, who hails from the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurugram, won two titles and posted seven other top-10s this season. Notably, Veer had a runner-up finish at the Indian Open, an event co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour. He thus became the second player after Om Prakash Chouhan to breach the Rs 1 crore mark in season’s earnings on the PGTI. As a result of his Order of Merit triumph, Veer has now earned himself a card on the DP World Tour for the 2025 season.

Bengaluru-based Rahil Gangjee finished a distant second on the PGTI Ranking with season’s earnings of Rs 69,21,582. Rahil secured eighth place at Jamshedpur this week as he totaled 11-under 273.

All four rounds of the event saw one half of the field play their first nine holes at Golmuri Golf Course and second nine at Beldih Golf Course while the other half of the field played Beldih first followed by Golmuri. The par for the round was 71. The leading groups started at Golmuri and finished at Beldih.

Veer, who was overnight tied sixth and four shots off the lead, came out firing on all cylinders on the front-nine, picking up an eagle and two birdies before the turn, as he landed it within four feet on two occasions and also sank a 20-footer. After a bogey on the 11th, Veer got his game back on track with four birdies, not leaving himself anything longer than 10 feet on the greens.

Amardeep Malik, who had a bogey-free round, was leader for a major part of the day thanks to his five birdies on the front-nine. Amardeep, a two-time winner on the PGTI, slowed down on the back-nine where he managed just one birdie. However, he kept the errors out.

When the playoff began on the 18th hole, Amardeep enjoyed the better playoff record having won one out of two encounters while Veer had lost both his previous playoffs. On the first playoff hole, Amardeep had a heart-breaking lip-out from 20 feet that could’ve sealed a birdie and perhaps the match for him.

On the second extra hole, Amardeep hit it over the green and missed the chip-putt for par while Veer continued to play steady and made the decisive par to lift his fourth professional trophy. Amardeep’s runner-up finish earned him Rs 30 lakh and thus propelled him from 23rd to sixth place in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Ahlawat said, “At the start of the round, I knew I had to go really low. So, I was looking to score on all the Par-5s and the short Par-4s. I had also been hitting my wedges well from the fairways all week. That added to my confidence. I had worked a lot on my wedge play and that paid off today.

“In the playoff, I used one of my favoured clubs, the gap wedge, to perfection. I also felt I had an advantage in the playoff because the 18th hole suited my game since I hit a lot of fades and the 18th is tailor-made for the fade shot.

“My family, including my parents and my wife, gave me a pleasant surprise by landing up in Jamshedpur yesterday. Their presence on the course today was a huge encouragement for me to do well. I’m glad I didn’t disappoint them.

“It’s been a great season for me and I’m very happy about my consistent showing. Winning the PGTI Order of Merit was a major goal and I’m delighted to have achieved that. I’m now eagerly looking forward to playing on the DP World Tour in 2025. I’m working on a few things to prepare myself well for the different conditions in Europe.”

Jamshedpur-based professionals Karan Taunk (four-over 288) and Kurush Heerjee (10-over 294) finished tied 47th and tied 54th respectively.

Twenty-one-year-old rookie Shaurya Bhattacharya of Delhi won the PGTI Emerging Player of the Year title with season’s earnings of Rs 23,14,017, the highest among the rookies. Shaurya, who secured tied 45th place at three-over 287 at the season-ending event, secured a creditable 28th position on the PGTI Order of Merit as a result of his win and four other top-20s in the season.

–IANS

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Gardner reflects on Australia’s dominant year after ODI series sweep over NZ

Wellington, Dec 23 (IANS) Ashleigh Gardner, who capped off a stellar year with a match-winning performance in Australia’s 75-run victory over New Zealand in the third ODI at Wellington, reflected on the team’s dominance in 2024 and expressed excitement for the challenges ahead, including the historic Women’s Ashes series.

Australia rounded off a remarkable year with a 2-0 series sweep over New Zealand. The win capped off a dominant year for the reigning ICC Women’s World Cup champions, underlining their prowess in 50-over cricket.

Reflecting on the team’s achievements, Gardner emphasised the significance of their success in 2024. “It caps off a pretty good year for us,” she said during the post-match press conference. “Coming off the World Cup, we had a point to prove, and 50-over cricket is probably our best format. We were clinical in all games. To finish off the year like that, going home with another trophy that’s got Australia written all over it, is pretty pleasing.”

“We saw people shine in different spots. Where the team is at the moment, we’re in a really positive space. We’ve done a lot of talking, and now it’s about action.”

Gardner praised the contributions from across the squad, particularly Annabelle Sutherland, whose consistent performances stood out throughout the series. Sutherland’s efforts with both bat and ball were pivotal to Australia’s success in the series. Scoring 147 runs and taking three wickets, she showcased her ability to deliver under pressure.

“To watch Belsy (Annabelle Sutherland) do what she does with both bat and ball in hand, at number 5, breaking records like she always does. To see people like that standing up under pressure.

“For such a young player, she’s gotten her head switched on. The conversations we have around the field are really simple. The language is really clear and concise in what we both do really well. Sometimes where you’re at the other end and Belsy’s firing it, good to just give her the strike.”

Australia’s dominance in ODIs is reflected in their outstanding record in the ICC Women’s Championship. Winning 18 out of 24 matches, with only three losses, they have set the benchmark for consistency in women’s cricket.

Gardner highlighted the team’s commitment to excellence and said, “It’s such a long period of time to accumulate all those points. The ODI series we’ve played in have been pretty clinical. We always speak about wanting to win 3-0 in every series. I think we’ve lost only three games in 24-25 games; it’s a pretty good feat.”

Looking ahead, Gardner expressed her excitement for the upcoming Women’s Ashes, particularly the historic day-night Test at the MCG.

“To be playing at a venue like the SCG, which is my favourite ground in the world. There’s so much history there, and we haven’t played many international games since I’ve been involved in the team.

“To have the Ashes there, what better way to draw some crowds in. And to top it off with the Test match at the MCG, day-night, it’s going to be a pretty good spectacle.”

–IANS

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ISL 2024-25: Jamshedpur FC edge past Punjab FC in a tight contest

Jamshedpur, Dec 13 (IANS) Javier Siverio’s double strike ensured Jamshedpur FC edge past Punjab FC 2-1 in the Indian Super League (ISL) fixture played at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Friday. Pulga Vidal scored for Punjab, who slipped to fifth place in the table with 18 points while Jamshedpur climbed to sixth with the same number of points from 10 matches.

Punjab suffered an early jolt as Filip Mrzljak had to be replaced by Asmir Suljic after getting injured. The Red Miners stuck to their game plan of launching long balls into Punjab’s half and troubling the defence with their set pieces. Stephen Eze’s and Javier Siverio’s attempts were blocked by the defence after Jamshedpur kept winning the second ball from long throw-ins by the fullbacks.

The home side eventually took the lead in the dying seconds of the first half through a similar play. Eze flicked a throw in ahead of the onrushing goalkeeper Muheet Shabir which was met by Javi Hernandez who diverted it onto the path of Siverio. The Spaniard calmly finished it past the crowd of defenders to give his team the lead.

The best chances of the first half did come for the Shers earlier. Nihal Sudeesh found Pulga Vidal with a fine low cross at the end of a good run down the left wing but the forward skied his shot above the crossbar. Luka Majcen hit the post just before injury time with a header from a cross by Vidal down the left wing.

Punjab FC levelled the scores in the very first minute of the second half. Asmir Suljic released Luka Majcen inside the box and the Slovenian found Pulga Vidal unmarked at the far post. The Argentinian had no trouble in slotting the ball inside the net for his third goal of the season.

Javi Hernandez forced a save out of Muheet with a volley from the edge of the box which was the closest both teams came to scoring. Punjab played high up the pitch winning the battle in the midfield and keeping possession of the ball but chances were hard to come by. Albino Gomes made back-to-back saves from Leon Augustine and a free kick from Pulga Vidal to keep the scores level.

Jamshedpur struck the decisive goal six minutes from time again through Javier Siverio. Nikhil Barla put in a perfect cross between the two Punjab centre-backs, which was met with conviction by Siverio who headed it past the outstretched hands of Muheet. The Red Miners saw off the rest of the game to clinch all three points as Punjab suffered their third loss of the season away from home.

Punjab FC will travel to Kolkata for their next fixture on December 17 against East Bengal at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

–IANS

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