Steady Chiragh clinches BILT Open title

Two-time defending champion Anirban Lahiri's sheer domination in the second and third round of the Bilt Open did not provide as much excitement

Two-time defending champion Anirban Lahiri’s sheer domination in the second and third round of the Bilt Open did not provide as much excitement as his spectacular collapse and Chiragh Kumar’s march from behind on the final few holes to win the Rs one crore tournament with a 15-under 273.

Last month’s Indian Open runner-up,27-year-old Kumar was eight shots behind the leader going into the final round. But as much as his bogey-free,5-under fourth round deserves credit,it was the self-destruction button pressed first by Lahiri and then Vikrant Chopra,who was overnight second and finished joint second at 14-under,that added a third professional trophy to Chiragh’s cabinet.

Lahiri,who had a five-stroke cushion at the top,saw his group partner Chopra catching up with him after the latter hit birdies on the 1st,3rd,4th and the 10th holes. But on the back nine,when push came to shove,their games unraveled simultaneously.

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Lahiri double bogeyed the 13th,while Chopra showed he can do worse,hitting a triple bogey on the 14th. Lahiri handed the advantage right back with a bogey on the same hole.

As they imploded together,a group ahead of the them,Chiragh was silently crawling up,and into contention. He sank a 12-footer for birdie on the 15th and holed a 50-footer to pick up another stroke on 17th for a share of the lead. While Lahiri faded away with a bogey on the penultimate hole,Chopra needed a par on the final hole to enforce a playoff. An erratic tee shot that resulted in one-stroke penalty put paid to his hopes. Chopra’s agony,however,was Chiragh’s ecstasy.

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