Louis Philippe Cup: Rahil equals course record en route to victory

Bengaluru, August 3, 2018: Two-time Asian Tour winner Rahil Gangjee of India, made a good year even better, by equalling the course record at the Prestige Golfshire Club here on Friday en route to winning the $75,000 Louis Philippe Cup.

Beginning the final day of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and PGTI co-sanctioned event in tied fifth position and four shots behind overnight leaders Udayan Mane and Rashid Khan, the Kolkata born and Bengaluru-based pro dished out a champagne performance, carding a stunning 7-under 63 for an overall score of 11-under 269, to win by three strokes and pocket the $13,125 winner's cheque.

His 63 on the day was also a course record which was set up by India's Udayan Mane and Argentinian Miguel Carballo on the first day of the competition.

This was Rahil's second title of the year after winning the Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Ibaraki, Japan earlier this year, which was also his second ever, Asian Tour victory. He also collects six world-ranking points allotted to the winner of the Louis Philippe Cup, in the process. Rahil is currently ranked 5th on the Habitat for Humanity Asian Tour Order of Merit with total earnings of $290,426.

What a year this is turning out to be for @GangjeeR? He wins his first ADT title at the #LouisPhilippeCup, his second title in 2018 👏 pic.twitter.com/FVbTFV4UL4

— AsianDevelopmentTour (@ADT_golf) August 3, 2018

Speaking after the win Rahil said, "The first day of the tournament was rusty for me and I had said I needed some practice. The second round was exactly that practice which I was longing for. The third round gave me the much-needed boost. Today when I started I honestly did not have much of plan in mind. Over the last year I have played the final rounds one shot at a time and I don't play for a particular number and today wasn't any different. I am thankful to the weather gods that except for a minor sprinkle there wasn't much of a rain scare and that helped me stay in rhythm."

He further described his round saying, "I shot eight birdies starting from Hole no 1,2,3,7,8,13,14 and 18. Hole number 12 was what I consider my turning point in the game. I used a driver to hit to the mud on the green and missed a 10 feet putt to birdie. That par on the hole was what made the difference for me and kept me alive in the game today. I kept growing from hole no 13 where I made a brilliant up and down birdie, followed by another on the 14th, a bogey on the 16thand to signoff with a birdie on the 18th."

And here's the proud champion @GangjeeR with the #LouisPhilippeCup 🏆 #India #Golf

Read report on https://t.co/NAVBy1ytWb pic.twitter.com/DW4LEtxVjX

— AsianDevelopmentTour (@ADT_golf) August 3, 2018

Overnight leader Rashid finished joint second with PGTI regular Om Prakash Chouhan with an overall score of 8-under 272. After being in contention for most of the day, Rashid muffed his chances on the back nine, registering bogies on the 11th, 13thand the tricky 16thhole to finish the day at 1-over.

"I tried my best but things didn't turn around as planned. I had a good day but the 11thhole bogey was something that spoiled it a bit for me. I hit a good drive but it went longer than expected lying deep into the bunker, which I couldn't tread out easily from. That hole ended in a bogey. The 13th there after was what I consider my turning point when I hit the water and ended up with a bogey on a par 5. I think I couldn't recover post that. From here I look forward to KGA and hope to return with better results," said Rashid.

Rashid pocketed a cheque of $6937.5 along with Chouhan who shot a 4-under 66 on the day.

The other overnight leader Udayan who is now based in Ahmedabad, shot his first over par round of the competition, the 11thand 16th holes also turning out to be his nemesis along with the 12th. Those three bogeys to go with his lone birdie on the 13th meant he carded a 2-over for the day for an overall 7-under 273 to finish in tied fourth place. Three-time Asian tour winner, Australia's Marcus Both gave Udayan company with 3-under 67 finish. Both collected cheques of $3750 each. Local lad Khalin Joshi finished one stroke behind in sole sixth position to collect a cheque of $2775.

The other creditable finish came from Chandigarh's Aadil Bedi, the only amateur in the field on the final day. The 17-year old who will be the youngest to represent India in Golf at the Asian Games in the next two weeks, carded a solid 2-under 68 on the final day to finish in tied 14thspot with an overall score of 2-under 278.

Top five finishers

1. Rahil Gangjee (IND)- 269 (-11)

2. Rashid Khan (IND)/ Om Prakash Chouhan (IND) 272 (-8)

4. Udayan Mane (IND)/Marcus Both (AUS)- 273 (-7)

5. Khalin Joshi (IND)- 274 (-6)