
Five strokes off Gaganjeet Bhullar, the leader after the penultimate round, not many gave Rahul Ganapathy a realistic chance of winning. But the 29-year-old Mysore pro knew it ain8217;t over till it8217;s over. 8220;Anything may happen, golf is a funny game,8221; he had told The Indian Express after play on Friday.
The words couldn8217;t have been more prophetic. On the final day, as Bhullar lost his nerves, Ganapathy kept his to win the AIS Open by four strokes. His third win of the season, second on this course, fetched him Rs 4.84 lakh and propelled him atop the PGTI Order of Merit list.
While Bhullar8217;s spectacular collapse 8212; a horrendous seven-over 79 8212; did help his cause, Ganapathy, who had been consistent throughout the tournament, was a deserving winner.
Coming into the round with a game plan, he first played aggressively to take the lead and then went on the defensive, carding a blemish-free four-under 68 to take the total to 16-under 272.
8220;I am playing the best golf of my career now8221; said Ganapathy, who had taken a year off from the Asian Tour to hone his game. 8220;I think I came through this week because I did not make too many mistakes.8221;
Ashok Kumar 69 birdied the last hole to finish second with 12-under 276, while Bhullar ended up third with an aggregate of 10-under 278.