Pune, Nov 9 (IANS) Delhi’s Kshitij Naveed Kaul fired a cool and confident four-under 67 in the last round, highlighted by a dramatic final hole birdie to emerge wire-to-wire champion at a total of 20-under 264 in The Poona Club Open, the INR 1 crore event which concluded at the Poona Club Golf Course here on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Kshitij (64-66-67-67), who won on the PGTI after two years, collected a prize money cheque worth INR 15 lakh to zoom 31 spots to 18th position in the PGTI Ranking. It was Kaul’s fourth professional title and his second at the Poona Club Golf Course. Karandeep Kochhar (64-66-70-65) of Chandigarh, who was overnight tied third and three off the lead, came up with a strong six-under 65 on Saturday to earn the runner-up spot at 19-under 265.

Gurugram’s Veer Ahlawat (69) extended his lead in the PGTI Ranking after he finished tied third at 15-under 269. Dhruv Sheoran, another Gurugram golfer, matched the course record with a 63 that featured two eagles to end up in a share of third place. Delhi’s Rashid Khan (67) too finished tied for third. Olympian Udayan Mane also equalled the course record of 63 as his round featured six consecutive birdies. Local lad Mane thus ended the week as the best-placed Pune golfer in tied ninth at 12-under 272.

Kshitij Naveed Kaul, who also won his maiden professional title at the Poona Club Golf Course in his rookie season in 2019, dominated the week from the outset having led from the first round till the end. Kaul began the final day with a two-shot lead and was steady over the first 12 holes making birdies at regular intervals on the fifth, ninth and 12th holes courtesy of his top-class driving and chipping. However, the script had a little twist. Kaul bogeyed the 15th and birdied the 17th from eight feet even as Karandeep Kochhar got on a run making seven birdies between the third and 18th to draw level with Kshitij.

Kaul then found trouble with his tee shot on the 18th landing in the left jungle. But Kshitij turned the tables with a brilliant third shot from 250 yards that stopped seven feet from the hole. The six-foot two-inch tall Kaul sank the all-important seven-foot birdie putt with clinical precision to seal the title.

The soft-spoken Kshitij, said, “I played really well through the week and was very steady on the last day hitting most fairways and greens and making birdies wherever I got the opportunity. I stayed in the moment and didn’t get too ahead of myself. The third shot on the 18th was special and turned out to be decisive.

“The Poona Club Golf Course continues to be a lucky venue for me. It’s nice to always come back here, a course where I have won at the professional, amateur, junior and sub-junior levels in the past. I’m thrilled to have added more good memories at this venue this week. My driving, tee shots, and putting were excellent for most of the week," he said.

“This win has come after quite a while for me. So, a huge shout out to my coach Jesse Grewal for getting my game back on track,” he added.