Randhawa edges out Mukesh in play-off at Noida

Noida: Jyoti Randhawa edged out Mukesh Kumar in a nail-biting play-off to win the PGTI Players Championship at the Noida Golf Course on Saturday.

The 39-year-old Randhawa prevailed on the second play-off hole after the two golfers had ended the regulation 72 holes with identical totals of two-under 286. Randhawa (71-73-70-72) and Mukesh (77-71-70-68) were all square after the first play-off hole as both made pars. Randhawa then birdied the second play-off hole thanks to a 20-feet putt and got the better of Mukesh, who could only manage a par. The two professionals had produced contrasting rounds on the final day before they headed for the play-off. Gurgaon-based Randhawa`s sedate fourth round of even-par 72 consisted of three birdies and an equal number of bogeys. On the other hand, the 46-year-old Mukesh, who hails from Mhow, posted the day`s best score, a four-under 68 that was punctuated by five birdies and a bogey. "It`s a great feeling to bag my first title of the season. A score of two-under was fabulous for four days of golf in such tough conditions where the wind was a major factor. The scores I shot are not a true reflection of my solid performance this week," said Randhawa, who won his second title at the Noida Golf Course. "This victory has a lot of significance for me because I have recently made some changes in my game. These changes are now having the desired effect." Chandigarh`s Ajeetesh Sandhu finished third with a total of even-par 288. Noida`s Rahul Bajaj took a share of the fourth spot along with the Delhi duo of Chiragh Kumar and Shamim Khan at one-over 289. Chandigarh-based amateur Angad Cheema won the trophy for the best amateur score. PTI