Rashid-Bajaj face off at Eastern India Amateur Golf title

Kolkata: Rashid Khan and Rahul Bajaj took strikingly different paths to set up a much-anticipated final showdown at the LG Goodricke Eastern India Amateur golf championship.

Rashid, chasing his 10th title on the LG Amateur Tour, booked his spot in the summit clash with a comfortable 6 and 5 win over Samaresh Sardar, while Bajaj fought hard and won 1-up in a tight encounter against Raja Sardar. In the first semifinal, Bajaj made a strong start with birdies on the first two holes to go 2-up.On the front nine, both Bajaj and Raja Sardar won a hole each but the former held on to the advantage going into the back nine. He however, lost the 11th hole and 12th hole, his ball hit the tree and came back and struck his bag. On the par-5 15th, Raja missed his birdie putt to allow Bajaj to go ahead in the match once again and then a run of three straight pars gave Bajaj the win and kept his hopes alive for a second title this season.The other semi-final saw Rashid Khan dominate the tie. He took the upper hand after winning three straight holes, and then went 4-up when the players made the turn. Back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th hole helped the 18-year-old close out the match with a comfortable margin. PTI