Jaipur. Rahul Bajaj of Noida won the fifth and final PGTI Feeder Tour event of the 2012 season which was played at the Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur. Bajaj shot a solid three-under-67 in the final round on Thursday to end up with a total score of six-under-204. Mandeo Singh Pathania of the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort, Greater Noida and Chandigarh's Akshay Sharma shared second place with identical totals of three-under-207.
Aditya Raj Kumar Chauhan of the Golden Greens Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, won the PGTI Feeder Tour Order of Merit title for 2012. Chauhan, who missed the cut in Jaipur, topped the Order of Merit with earnings of Rs. 123,325. He has now earned a full card for the 2013 PGTI season. Anil Bajrang Mane of Mumbai finished second on the Order of Merit with earnings of Rs. 119,550.
Rahul Bajaj (69-68-67), placed third after round two, became the only player in the tournament to post three under-par scores after his round of 67 on Thursday. Bajaj, who belongs to the Noida Golf Course, was a slow starter in the final round as he dropped bogeys on the second and fourth holes. The 26-year-old then rallied with birdies on the seventh, 11th, 12th and 14th. Rahul made a 20-footer on the seventh and landed it within six feet on the 12th and 14th.
Bajaj found the rough on the 15th and as a result dropped a bogey. He was in big trouble once again after a poor tee shot on the 16th but recovered well and got away with a bogey. Rahul, a silver-medalist from the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, was one shot ahead of nearest rival Akshay Sharma after the 16th. The leader then consolidated his position with a 12-feet birdie putt on the 17th even as Akshay managed a birdie on the same hole.
Bajaj finally sealed his maiden professional title with an eagle on the par-5 18th hole where his second shot landed three feet from the pin. He thus finished three strokes ahead of the rest of the field.
"The birdie on the 17th was a morale-booster and gave me an edge on the final hole. I knew I had to find the green in two shots on the 18th since I was still just one shot ahead. I executed my strategy to perfection as my six-iron second shot from 210 yards landed within three feet of the flag and set up an eagle opportunity," said Rahul.
He added, "I was a lot more calm and relaxed on the course this week and that worked for me. I did not try too hard. It was great to shoot three under-par scores. This win will do wonders to my confidence. I just want to keep getting better from here on."
Akshay Sharma (64-70-73), the overnight leader, slipped to joint second place after his final round of three-over-73 that included three birdies and six bogeys.
Mandeo Singh Pathania (71-67-69) joined Akshay Sharma as the joint runner-up at three-under-207. Pathania's final round of one-under-69 included three birdies and two bogeys.
Manoj Kumar of Lucknow was placed fourth at two-under-208.
Aditya Raj Kumar Chauhan, the Feeder Tour Order of Merit champion, said, "I've been very consistent this season as all aspects of my game came together. I'm delighted to be at the top of the PGTI Feeder Tour Order of Merit at the end of the season. This achievement gives me a lot of confidence going forward. I'll now strive to make a mark on the PGTI."
Chauhan had won the second event of the 2012 Feeder Tour season in Karnal. He also posted three other top-10s during the season.