Chandigarh: Golfer Angad Cheema ends 11-year drought by winning Vizag Open

Chandigarh: City golfer Angad Cheema won the Vizag Open-2024 at East Point Golf Club in Visakhapatnam with a stunning win in a playoff against Patna’s Aman Raj to end an 11-year title drought. Leading by three shots overnight, Cheema (69-61-70-68) shot a 3-under 68 in the final round to post a tournament total of 16-under 268. The city golfer, who had finished in the top-10 six times in the season, including two runner-up finishes, shared the top spot after Raj (66-68-69-65) hit consecutive birdies at the end of the round. Raj shot the best score of the day, 6-under 65, to move level with Cheema at 16-under and take the match into a playoff. Cheema converted a birdie putt from eight feet to win the playoff and move to third place in the Tata Steel PGTI Rankings.

Aaryan Rupa Anand (67) of Bengaluru and Karthik Sharma (70) of Gurugram were tied for third with a total score of 10-under 274. 34-year-old Cheema, who finished runner-up at the PGTI in Hyderabad last week, maintained his grip on the game on the dramatic final day, maintaining his lead by a comfortable three shots till the 16th hole. He made four out of five birdie conversions from a range of 12 to 20 feet, thanks to excellent putting. He made only one bogey during this period. Cheema found a bunker on the 18th hole and made bogey, while Raj tied with Cheema by making three birdie putts from a range of 10 to 15 feet on the last four holes. Raj gained momentum and the match reached the playoff, although light drizzle also added to the excitement.

Cheema then hit an eight-footer to win with his excellent tee shot and approach shot on the playoff hole. Cheema holed the birdie putt, while Raj missed a birdie putt from 20 feet. This was Cheema’s third professional win, as he now has two titles on the PGTI and one on the PGTI Feeder Tour. “It is a huge relief for me to finally win after such a long time, as I had come close to victory on several occasions in recent years but couldn’t. Now I am looking forward to bigger things,” Cheema said. “On the playoff hole, my tee shot was crucial, as I had been struggling from the tee all day. After Raj hit the fairway with his drive, I knew I had to bring it into play to have a good chance and I did exactly that. I then played a great approach shot and gave myself a good number on the green.”