Brilliant Bhullar Wins IGPL Delhi NCR Title; Makes it ‘Two in Two’ 

Gaganjeet Bhullar in action.

Rakesh Thapliyal

Greater Noida: Gaganjeet Bhullar revealed that he knew he was in for a low score the moment he walked onto the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort for the final day of the IGPL Delhi NCR hosted by Gaurav Ghei. He had warmed up perfectly and said his body gave him the right signals.

Bhullar carded 6-under 64, the best card so far in two IGPL tournaments and became the first back-to-back winner on the circuit that promises a lot of excitement from the young brigade. Bhullar shot 72-68-64 for 8-under total at the Jaypee course, which played to a par of 72 on the first day and then 70 on the final two days.

Bhullar was thrilled to have gotten the IGPL to a flying start with two wins in two starts. For the second straight week, Bhullar took home a cheque of Rs. 22,50 lakhs. He grinned while saying, “Winning is always pleasing. That’s what we work for, but I am also amazed at the talent that this IGPL field had. Many of these teenagers will win not only in India but also the international arena.”

Bhullar shared, “My body was stiff on the first two days. I have been doing a lot of gym and preparing for the international stretch of my season also. But today when I warmed up, I felt my body was loose and I felt good. That’s when I knew I would be able to go low today.”

He smiled and added, “It did go well, but for the last hole, which I three-putted.”

Pukhraj Singh Gill in action.

Pukhraj Singh Gills (6-under) was second and Kartik Singh (4-under), who had a double bogey finish were second and third.

Playing his first IGPL event, Karandeep Kochhar (3-under) and Syed Saqib Ahmed (3-under) were tied for the fourth place and Kartik Sharma (2-under) and Aman Raj (2-under), showing signs that he is on his way back from injuries, were tied for the sixth place.

Kartik Singh in action.

Another young and new pro, Raghav Chugh (1-under) and Sachin Baisoya (1-under) were tied-eighth and the experienced Shiv Kapur, who said he was thrilled to play the IGPL, squeezed into the tenth place at even par.

Amandeep Drall (1-over) was the top woman player in Tied-11th place, while the top amateur was 16-year-old Arshvant Srivastava, who shot 1-over on the first day, closed the week with a par final round. In between he went 6-over for the second round for a total of seven over.

Uttam Singh Mundy, the CEO of IGPL, said, “The charge by Gaganjeet on the final day must have been most inspiring for the youngsters, who saw him play some amazing golf. Youngsters like Kartik Singh, Pukhraj Singh Gill, Raghav Chugh and many others including amateurs chased him hard, but Gaganjeet played so well. He has been a real big star in Indian golf, and he has given the IGPL a great start in just two weeks. Two wins in two starts with some top-quality golf.”

Bhullar, who was five shots behind the teen sensation and overnight leader Kartik Singh, was off to a flying start and opened birdie-birdie. He added a third on the fifth and never took his foot off the pedal.

On the back nine of the Jaypee course, which was played to a par of 70, he added five more birdies on the 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th and the 17th with just one bogey in between on the Par-4 13th. From 2-under at the start of the day, he had soared to 9-under and targeted a double-digit score under par with just one hole left. By then his win was almost confirmed with his closest rivals, the 16-year-old Kartik Singh (73) and Pukhraj Singh Gill (68) three shots behind him.

Then Bhullar made what was probably his only mistake on a day of some amazing golf. He three-putted the 18th for a second bogey and dropped to 8-under but was still a comfortable winner by two shots.

The tournament host, Gaurav Ghei, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour, and the first Indian to play the Open, was overwhelmed by the response to the event. “Playing the event, while hosting it is a responsibility of sorts. The IGPL team was superb, and I was blown away by Gaganjeet’s display and the youngsters, who gave him a run for his money.”

Pukhraj Singh Gill, a long-hitting hugely talented pro, who was 4-under and three behind the 36-hole leader Kartik at the start of the final round, added a 2-under 68 and finished second with a three-day total of 6-under.

Kartik Singh, tied-eighth on his pro debut last week, just could not get his game going, as he bogeyed twice early on the third and the fifth. He pulled one bac on the eighth. However, he rode a roller-coaster on the back nine. He birdied the 10th, gave back a shot on the 11th and then bogeyed again on the 13th. He picked a shot on the 16th to get back to tied second but faltered on the final hole with a double bogey and dropped to third.

Kartik, who could not get his ‘A’ game going today, was still pleased with his result and what he has learnt from the two IGPL events so far. “It has been a great experience and I have learnt so much from Gaganjeet sir and many other senior players. The IGPL has been a J big boost for me and my game.”