BPGC emerge Grover inter-club champs
Caption: Victorious BPGC team with the trophy along with Kapil Grover (white T-shirt), chairman Grover Zampa Vineyard
Pune Feb 18
Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC) golfers produced another good collective performance on day two and emerged champions in the 22nd edition of the Grover Zampa Vineyard Inter-Club Golf Championship, at the Poona Golf Club on Sunday. BPGC last won the event in 2014.
BPGC, who trailed three-time winners and defending champions US Club by one point (20-21) at the end of the first day, scored 20 points on the second day and finished the two-day event with a total 40 points to claim the top position. US Club, who were aiming to win their fourth successive title, started the second day with a slender advantage but they could score only 14.5 points, for an overall score of 35.5 points and had to settle for second best.
Hosts Poona Golf Club, who had lost just once in their own backyard managed to finish third with 19.5 points despite being at the bottom position on day one. Willingdon S C finished last in this four-team contest with 19 points.
Poona Golf Club began on a winning note with Andrew Pinto winning in the opening round of the singles, and later Rajat Buhhraja picking up the full 2.5 points as they raced past WSC into the third position. Dr V T Date and Ikram Khan also won their round in the foursomes as they Poona Club increased their score to 15.5 points. On the other hand, U S Club completed their singles winning two ties with Cdr AK Choudhary and Nakul Bali putting four points amongst them. They maintained a slender lead of half a point as BPGC were close on their heels with 24.5 points as the singles round ended.
But the race for the title was between US Club and BPCG as they were neck-to-neck mid way through the foursomes. But the BPGC pair of and Rahul Nigam and Bunny Gandoak won against WSC duo of Shabbir Rawjee and Krishna Kilachand which earned them half point lead as the contest was headed for a close finish.
It was Amit Nigam and Rishi Khera who set BPGC on the podium winning their encounter against USC’s duo of Keshva Mishra and Dharmesh Karani and Divesh Wadhawan and Viren Ahuja saw them home winning their tie against the local challengers (PGC) Manish Jaitha and Faizal Khimjibhai.
Scores (Day-one)
Scores (Day-two)
BPGC: 20 + 20 (Singles 4.5; Foursomes: 5.5; Fourballs: 10.00)
USC: 21 + 14.5 (Singles 4.00; Foursomes: 4.0; Fourballs: 6.5)
PGC: 8 + 11.5 (Singles 5.5; Foursomes: 3.0; Fourballs: 3.00)
WSC: 11 + 8 (Singles 0.00; Foursomes: 1.0; Fourballs: 7.00)