Veer shoots sensational final round to register come-from-behind victory

Jaipur, Dec 5 (PTI) Veer Ahlawat, who was overnight fourth and five shots off the lead, matched his tournament low score of eight-under 62 in round four to register a sensational come-from-behind victory at the Jaipur Open here Friday.

Gurugram-based Ahlawat (67-62-70-62), who had also shot a 62 earlier in the second round, totalled 19-under 261 for the week to pick up his fifth title and the winner's purse of Rs 15 lakh that lifted him from 38th to 18th position in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Ahlawat's exceptional bogey-free round also helped him break the record for the lowest winning total at the Rambagh Golf Club. The record was previously held by Sanjay Kumar who had shot a 16-under 264 at a PGTI event in 2011.

"I discovered something new in my swing earlier this week that really helped my driving. My driving was the best aspect of my game through the week. I also hit it close for most part of the final round," Ahlawat said.

"The game-changer for me was the 17th where I played a poor chip shot but despite that managed to sink a long putt to salvage a birdie," he added.

Yuvraj Sandhu (65-63-66-68), the leader by three shots after round three, carded a 68 on the final day featuring five birdies and three bogeys that saw him finish runner-up at 18-under 262.

Yuvraj took away a cheque worth Rs 10 lakh to further extend his lead in the PGTI Order of Merit to over Rs 33 lakh as his season's earnings moved to Rs 1,31,67,100.

Shaurya Bhattacharya returned a 64 to take third place at 15-under 265.

On Friday, the tall and lanky Ahlawat was slow off the blocks with his first two birdies coming on the sixth and eighth holes.

However, he made a charge with six birdies on the back-nine including a crucial 14-feet conversion on the 17th where he was in a spot of bother.

Yuvraj mixed five birdies with a bogey till the 16th to lead for most part of the day. However, he missed short putts on the last two holes to drop consecutive bogeys that saw his challenge fade away. PTI APA AT AT