Harinder Gupta became only the third amateur in the history of the Hero Honda Golf Tour to win a pro tournament when he romped home to a resounding victory in the Rs 10 lakh Hero Golf Chandigarh Open 2004.
The local lad fired a blemish-less tour-under 68, to win with a tally of 14-under 274.
Kolkata's Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia, who was tied overnight in the lead with Harmeet Kahlon, pipped the latter with a birdie on the final hole to wrench the cheque of Rs 1,62,2000 of a score of 12-under 176.
The second placed pro was awarded the top prize cheque with those below following in the newly changed order. Kahlon, who too sank a remarkable birdie puff on the 18th, received Rs 1,12,000 for finishing third.
The four days of exciting golf had a fitting end on the 18th green on Saturday. Harinder sitting with a comfortable lead of three strokes, it boiled down to a battle between Chowrasia at 11-under and Kahlon one stroke behind the Kolkatan at that stage.
Kahlon played to the gallery with a superb left-to-right birdie putt. Chowrasia, who took a long look at the ten-feet birdie putt, hit the bull's eye with elan.
Harinder who had earlier missed a chip-in for birdie by a narrow inch, tapped in the ball to win.
Harinder had actually established an early lead with birdies in the second and fourth. Once he nudged ahead of Chowrasia and Kahlon on the fourth, he didn't let go of the lead.
Chowrasia, much like in the third round, dropped a shot on his very first hole to hand Kahlon a one-stroke lead. With both golfers birdying the second, the lead remained with the Chandigarh pro. Kahlon dropped a shot on the fourth but regained the lead when Chowrasia bogeyed the eighth. The diminutive golfer from Kolkata birdied the 10th to even scores but his bogey on the following hole coupled with Kahlon's birdie handed the local hero a two-stroke lead.
Kahlon bogeyed the 12th and Chowrasia, with a par nudged one stroke closer. The Kolkata golfer's birdie on the 13th and Kahlon's bogey on the next hole pushed the former a vital stroke ahead. Matters were decided in his favour on the 18th.
Scores: (after 72 holes)
Pro: 276-SSP Chowrasia (67,68,70,71); 277-Harmet Kahlon(68,66,71,72); 282-Mukesh Kumar(67,75,68,72); 284-Digvijay Singh (75,70,72,67); 285-C Muniyappa (67,71,79,68), Randhir Ghotra (69,71,76,69), Feroz Ali (72,74,69,70), Yusuf Ali (71,72,71,71), Amandeep Johl(70,68,72,75).
Amateurs: 206_Harinder Gupta(66,71,69,68); 291_Girish Virk (71,73,77,70).
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