Chikka reigns supreme at LG All-India Amateur golf

PUNE - Chikkarangappa dominated the final of the matchplay championship at the LG All-India Amateur golf to become the youngest champion of the national amateur championship in its 109th edition.

The final that was played at the par-72 Oxford Golf and Country Club saw Chikka triumph over Delhi lad Bhnaupratap Singh 5&4.

This was Chikka’s second win this season on the LG Amateur Tour, with the first one coming in the middle of last year when he won the LG Karnataka Open at his home club-Eagleton Golf Club.

For Bhanupratap Singh, despite losing in the final, it was a dream week as he registered his best finish on the amateur circuit, coming from nowhere to reach the final of the championship.

The tournament final that was to be played over 36 holes, with the finalists covering the course two times over, started with Chikka pushing forward aggressively.

In the morning session, it was Chikka all the way as he stormed to a 6-up advantage through the first 18 holes, which included six birdies. Starting at daybreak, Chikka opened with a birdie, but Bhanu was back into the game with a birdie on the par-4 second.

But after that, it was all downhill for Bhanu as he struggled to keep pace with Chikka, who made four more birdies before the turn to pull away from Bhanu. There was a hint of a fight but Chikka closed the first session with his sixth birdie of the day to go 6Up.

It was a completely different story in the second session, as Bhanu began to go toe-to-toe with Chikka. With a wide gap already having been established, it was always going to be a tough mountain for the 18-year-old Delhi boy to climb and despite preventing Chikka from extending his lead, he couldnt take Chikka beyond the 14th hole.

Speaking after the win, Chikka said: “I was determined to come here and win this week and I was going to ensure that I didn’t back down. There were some very good matches along the way. The semi-final match where I beat Prabhagaran was probably the best match I have played in my career.”

Talking about the final, he added, Bhanu played really well this week. No one probably expected him to come all the way to the final. What really helped me was the start I got. I was 5-up through the first eight holes. If you take those holes, it was all-square all the way through after that.”

Bhanu, who plays at the Army Golf Club in Delhi, wore a dejected after the tie but he sounded a positive note later, saying: “This was my first experience playing under pressure, and if you take away the first eight holes, I think I did quite well.”

The LG All-India Amateur Championship also brought to an end the 2009-10 season and the next season will commence in April.