Calance Open Golf: Tapendra Ghai Clinches Second Title with Determined 70

New Delhi, April 18 (NationPress) Gurugram’s Tapendra Ghai maintained his lead with a resilient even-par 70 on the final day, marking the end of his lengthy wait for a second title at the INR 1 crore Calance Open 2025 golf tournament, concluding at the Qutab Golf Course in New Delhi on Friday.

The 29-year-old Ghai (64-67-62-70), who started the day as the overnight leader by four strokes, celebrated his first title win on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) since 2018, finishing with a total score of 17-under 263 to win by a narrow margin of one shot. His final round comprised three birdies and three bogeys. This victory earned him a prize of INR 15,00,000, propelling him from 53rd to 15th place in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Delhi’s Arjun Prasad (67-68-67-62) delivered the best score of Day Four with an impressive eight-under 62, moving up 10 spots to finish as a joint runner-up at 16-under 264. Arjun received a cheque for INR 7,99,900, elevating him from sixth to second in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Prasad’s earnings for the season now total INR 46,57,749. With five top-10 finishes this season, he trails the PGTI Ranking leader Joshua Berry from England by over INR 7.5 lakh.

Honey Baisoya (64-68-65-67) from Delhi also finished as a joint runner-up with a score of 16-under 264 after carding a 67 in the final round.

Kshitij Naveed Kaul, another professional from Delhi who set a course record of 60 earlier in the week, finished fourth with a score of 15-under 265 after posting a 64 on Friday. Dubai’s Yash Majmudar shot a second consecutive 63 to secure a tie for fifth place at 14-under 266 along with Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Sandhu (69) and Ludhiana’s Pukhraj Singh Gill (69).

Tapendra Ghai encountered a slow start on Friday, bogeying the second hole. However, he quickly recovered with birdies on the fourth and seventh holes, including a 12-footer on the fourth. A par-save from 15 feet on the ninth and a chip-in for birdie on the 11th helped him maintain his lead over Arjun Prasad.

Despite the birdies becoming scarce and a bogey on the 14th hole, Ghai remained composed and executed another critical par putt from 15 feet on the 15th hole.

Known as ‘Tapy’, Ghai recorded a bogey on the 18th but still managed to secure victory with a one-shot lead as Arjun Prasad and Honey Baisoya failed to catch up in the final holes.

“It was a day when birdies were not easy to come by for me, so the par-saves kept me in the game and maintained my momentum. I made a couple of 15-footers for pars that boosted my confidence to finish strong,” Tapendra said.

“On the back nine, I thought if I could play two-under for the day, it would be sufficient. The chip-in for birdie on the 11th was a key moment for me.

“I had struggled with my putting leading up to this week, but I was very consistent with the putter throughout the tournament and felt good about my game. I focused on repeating my routine and ensuring I followed the same pattern from start to finish.

“It feels amazing to win after six years. I want to express my gratitude to my coach, Ricky Jaswal, for all the support and guidance,” he added.

While Arjun Prasad made a strong push with a bogey-free 62 in round four, Honey Baisoya’s final round included an eagle, three birdies, and two bogeys. Honey emerged as a contender towards the end after making an eagle on the 16th hole but narrowly missed a birdie putt on the 18th that could have forced a playoff with Ghai.