Udayan dethrones Rashid as top-ranked Indian golfer; eyes Tokyo berth

CHANDIGARH: Pune's Udayan Mane has boosted his chances in the Tokyo Olympics qualification race after pocketing the Rs 30 lakh Delhi-NCR Open Golf Championship 2021, for his 11th title on the PGTI on Friday.
The 30-year-old claimed his third title of the 2020-21 PGTI season with a two-shot victory at the Golden Greens Golf Club in Gurugram. He totaled 14-under-274 to prevail by two strokes.The title will help him make a big push up the world rankings from his current 320th position raising hopes of qualifying for the big ticket event in the Japanese capital city.
The win is a shot in the arm for the big-built Udayan, who will now earn five world ranking points and go past Rashid Khan (ranked 311 at the moment) to become the highest-ranked Indian when the latest Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) list is released on Monday.
With the battle for Olympic qualification heating up, Mane feels the victory in Gurugram will surely boost his confidence along with the global rankings.
"The win couldn't have come at a better time for me as the race for qualification to the Olympics is quite intense at the moment with the likes of Gaganjeet, Rashid, Chikka, Karandeep and Aman Raj, all being strong contenders," he said.
"I still have some time to get back to where my game was at the start of the season last year. But the work I've put in is now paying off. I just need to keep doing the same thing, I'm definitely on the right track. My tee shots and putting stood out this week. I also gave myself a lot of birdie chances," he added.
Udayan had bagged the first two trophies of the 2020-21 PGTI season as part of his three match winning streak which began with season-ending event of the previous 2019 season. However, he had not been at his best since the resumption of the tour in November last year. Mane won a prize money cheque worth Rs 4,84,950 and thus continued in third place on the PGTI order of merit.
Mane (71-67-67-69), the overnight leader by one shot, had a hot start to the day with two birdies on the first three holes which saw him play a couple of good wedge shots. Udayan then made some good putts which didn't roll in but he still hung on to his lead. On the par-5 18th, Mane sank a crucial 10-feet birdie putt to seal the deal even as playing partner Aman Raj missed his eagle putt from the same distance.
Gurugram-based Shivendra Singh Sisodia, playing at his home course, secured a career-best tied second place at 12-under-276 after a sensational birdie-eagle finish on the last two holes helped the 31-year-old put up a score of 66. Bengaluru's Chikkarangappa (68) and Patna's Aman Raj (69) also took a share of second place.
Chandigarh's Karandeep Kochhar (67) claimed fifth place at 11-under-277 to maintain his lead in the PGTI order of merit. Sandeep Singh of Rajasthan, shot the day's best score of seven-under-65 to finish tied ninth at eight-under-280.