Narendra Rawat rode on a strong back nine to win the 14th Indian Independence Day Cup tournament, organised by the Indian Golfers Society, at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club.
A weekend golfer like many others in the field, Rawat provided a new twist to the script, scoring a solid 35 points, including 20 on the back nine, to record the biggest win of his golfing career.
On a sweltering day, Sergy D’Souza and Rakesh Shah, however, left many in the field marveling in awe at their insatiable appetite for golf. The two first played 18 holes, and that too from the Championship Tees, in the first round of the Shaikh Rashid Trophy at Badia Golf and Club, then drove straight to Dubai Creek, making it to the 1pm shot gun start just in time.
They were well rewarded for their endurance with D’Souza winning the Division A (0-14 handicap) title with 35 points while Shah walked away with the Best Gross prize. Staying focused on the job was the secret of their strength.
At the end of the day, it was Rawat who emerged from the mud and sweat of a keenly-fought contest with a big smile lighting up his face. One shot at a time. Whatever happens, happens was his simple strategy that paid off well.
“I think those four gross pars on the back nine were crucial,” said Rawat, who defeated Ghanshyam Manghnani by a good three shots in Division B with Serifa, the talented daughter of D’Souza, posting a creditable third-place finish with 32 points. Serifa rounded off a good day’s work, winning the longest drive as well.
In Division A, Suneel Aggarwal had to settle for the second place, one shot behind D’Souza, with 34 points while Vaibhav Jain (33) took the third place.
Anand Lakhiani made his presence felt in the tournament, winning the senior division title for golfers 55 and above with 31 points, and also added the nearest to the pin award to his cache. K.S. Murthy and Anish Malattir too made it to the podium, taking the nearest to the pin and the longest drive.
Indian Consul-General Sanjay Verma and Collin Scott, the Chivas Regal Master Blender, presented the prizes in the company of chief tournament coordinator K.J. Singh.
Singh thanked the players and sponsors (Chivas, AGMC, Heilbroon, Bank of Baroda, Apollo Tyres and BDO) for making the event a great success.
Results:
Division A (0-14 handicap):
Winner: Sergy D’Souza 35 points, 2. Suneel Aggarwal 34, 3. Vaibhav Jain 33
Division B (15-36 handicap):
Winner: Narendra Rawat 36 points, 2. Ghanshyam Manghnani 33, 3. Serifa D’Douza 32.
Best Gross: Rakesh Shah (28)
Best Senior: Anand Lakhiani 31 points.
Other prizes:
Nearest to the pin on eight: K.S. Murthy; Nearest to the pin on 16th: Anand Lakhiani.
Longest drive on seventh: Anish Malattiri; Longest drive on 12th: Serifa D’Souza
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