Jyoti wins first title after two-and-a-half years gap

Mewat (Haryana): Jyoti Randhawa carded an even par 72 in the fourth round to lift his first trophy after a gap of two-and-a-half years by winning the PGTI Players Championship on Friday.

With Friday’s round of 72 at the Classic Golf Resort, the Gurgaon-based Randhawa ended up with a tournament total of 11-under 277. Manav Jaini`s two-under 70 in the final round helped him claim the second spot at 10-under 278.Randhawa`s (69-66-70-72) final round effort of 72 was good enough to earn him his sixth title on the Aircel PGTI on a high-scoring day. The seasoned campaigner stuck to his task with three birdies and three bogeys in the fourth round even as the overnight rain made life difficult for all the professionals. Randhawa, who led by two strokes at the end of round three earlier in the morning, was on level terms with Jaini with just two holes to go. Randhawa then holed a crucial six-footer for par to go ahead on the 17th as Jaini, who was playing one group ahead, dropped a bogey on the same hole. Randhawa finally drove home the advantage after the two golfers made par on the last hole. "This is a highly-satisfying victory as it was one of the toughest final rounds I have ever played. I played 53 holes over the last two days and that almost drained all my energy," said Randhawa, an eight-time winner on the Asian Tour. Bureau Report