Sri Lankan N Thangaraja came up with a classic six-under-par 66 in round four to cruise to a thumping six-shot win in the City Bank American Express Chittagong Open 2018 at Bhatiary Golf and Country Club Saturday in the port city.
Thangaraja, the overnight leader by two shots, bagged his third Professional Golf Tour of India title as he ended the week with a record total of 22-under-par 266.
Meanwhile, India’s Veer Ahlawat carded a three-under-par 69 on the final day to finish runners-up at 16-under-par 272.
Among the Bangladeshis, Mohammad Sajib Ali had the best finish as he clinched fifth place with a total of 11-under-par 277.
Thangaraja (65-67-68-66), who was in contention in the last two PGTI events before slipping on the final day on both occasions, managed to set the record straight this time around.
Thangaraja, who won his first title on the PGTI after a gap of three years, has now moved up from 11th to first position on the PGTI Order of Merit. Incidentally, the Colombo resident’s 22-under-par 266 total is the lowest ever winning score achieved at BGCC. The previous best was Siddikur Rahman’s 16-under-par 272 at the inaugural edition of the tournament last year.
“I am just delighted that I kept my focus and got the job done unlike the previous two events where I missed out on converting my opportunities in the final stages. It’s great to win a title after such a long gap and that too with my best ever four-round total of 22-under-par. This really lifts my confidence for the rest of the season. I’m glad that I’ve come back well after recovering from my knee injury,” said Thangaraja.
“I really enjoyed playing at the BGCC and look forward to coming back to this top-class venue next year,” added Thangaraja.
Ahlawat (69-66-68-69), who was overnight third, fired a last round 69 to gain one position and claim second place. He had a promising start with two birdies on the first three holes but thereafter could manage only three more birdies at the expense of two bogeys. Ahlawat’s fourth top-10 finish in his fifth event this season took him from 16th to second position on the PGTI Order of Merit.
India’s Aman Raj (65-68-69-72), lying second after the third and penultimate round, slipped out of contention early on the final day when he made a quadruple bogey on the second. He then fought back with six birdies against two bogeys to put up a 72 on the board and end up in third place.
Sajib finished an impressive fifth despite shooting a 73 on day four.
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