Kolkata, Nov 1 (NationPress) Aman Raj is focused on securing his place in the Asian Tour and beyond as he ascends to the top of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) rankings. This achievement follows his second victory in consecutive weeks, where he triumphed at the IGPL Invitational Kolkata, hosted by SSP Chawrasia at the Tollygunge Golf Club.

Aman, who won by a margin of three shots, has accumulated Rs. 58,34,058 and maintains a significant lead of nearly Rs. 13 lakhs over the young talent Kartik Singh (Rs. 45,16,307), who placed outside the Top-10 for the first time in five outings. Gaganjeet Bhullar, currently competing on the Asian Tour, has earned Rs. 45,00,000, while Kapil Kumar (Rs. 36,44,725) and Veer Ganapathy (Rs. 29,90,775) trail behind.

The 30-year-old golfer has achieved an impressive record with two wins and three Top-10 finishes in five IGPL events. He has also made history as the first player to surpass Rs. 50 lakhs in earnings on the IGPL and is the second to win back-to-back tournaments after Gaganjeet Bhullar, who secured victories in Chandigarh and Jaypee Greens, followed by Kapil Kumar in Pune. Aman has now claimed wins in Jaipur and Kolkata.

In a related event, Ridhima Dilawari, the top female finisher at IGPL Kolkata, led her team to victory in the Pro-Am competition. Her team included Raunak Sethi, Saket Singhal, and Atharv Tripurari.

The teams managed by Saarthak Chhibbera and left-handed player Kartik Sharma secured second and third places, respectively. Chhibber’s lineup featured Gaurav Ghosh, Kulvin Suri, and Sanjeev Mehra, while Sharma’s team comprised Hemant Capur, Rupinder Singh, and Sourav Chatterjee.

Aman Raj exhibited composure after his second consecutive win, finishing with a three-shot advantage over the skilled Veer Ganapathy. He expressed his satisfaction at the Pro-Am, stating, “My game is progressing toward my goals. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m improving; I’d say I’m around 80% of the way. There’s much at stake – winning the IGPL Order of Merit grants a spot in the International Series early next year, and there’s an Asian Tour event later this month in Ahmedabad. I also intend to participate in the Asian Tour Q-School.”

“I believe that I can transition from the IGPL to the international stage. There has been considerable discussion about the pathway, and it’s evident that a solid route exists from the IGPL to the Asian Tour. Additionally, there’s an opportunity to reach the European Tour if I choose to. All I need to do is qualify at the Q-School. Personally, the Asian Tour is currently more enticing to me. I’ve competed there, the cuisine is excellent, and it provides a great deal of comfort. In short, it’s a more comfortable experience. I’m eagerly anticipating this as my game continues to improve,” added golfer Aman Raj.

Just a day prior, Aman Raj narrowly secured his second consecutive win at the Par-70 Tollygunge Golf Club. He finished at 14-under for three days, while Veer Ganapathy, who was 4-under through 17 holes, suffered a double-bogey on the last hole, finishing second at 11-under. Although the margin was three shots, both players were tied with one hole remaining.

Aman birdied the final hole, while Veer double-bogeyed after veering left and hitting a tree with his second shot. Aryan Roopa Anand, a two-time All India Amateur champion, achieved his best result this season on the IGPL Tour with a score of 4-under 66, finishing third at 9-under. His previous rounds were 68-66. Also recording his best performance of the IGPL season was Samarth Dwivedi (67), who completed three rounds with scores of 67-69-67 for a total of 7-under, placing fourth.

Syed Saqib Ahmed (66-69-69) tied for fifth with veteran Ranjit Singh (69-67-68) at 6-under 204.

The top female finisher of the week was Ridhima Dilawari (69-70-71), finishing at even par, and she was tied for 20th place alongside established male competitors like Chiragh Kumar (67-71-72), an Asian Tour winner, and Olympian Udayan Mane (66-74-70). The top amateurs were Rahul Ravi (70-68-73) and Aryav Shah (67-71-73) at 1-over and tied for 25th.

The next IGPL event is scheduled to take place in Jamshedpur from November 5 to 7.