JOIN USFavourites India retained the 12th SAARC Golf Championship after seeing off a gritty Bangladesh 2-1 here at the KGA on Saturday.
After having faced little challenge in the preceding rounds, the Indians were pushed hard by upcoming Bangladesh but the hosts held their composure to seal a ninth title triumph at the very same course where the tournament began in 1999.
The first match between India’s Viraj Madappa and Akber Hossain was a tight affair with neither player giving an inch. However, Madappa, one of the top amateurs in the country, slowly began to march ahead after the turn before winning his match 2-up on the final 18th hole.Rasel then brought Bangladesh back into the contest, levelling the affair 1-1 after scoring a crushing 4&3 win over Pukhraj Singh Gill.
Jaibir Singh, though, made sure there was no twist in the tale, dishing out a solid performance on the imprtant day to beat Ismail 3&1 and seal a comprehensive win for the hosts. In the Friendship Cup where 120 golfers participated, Manpreet Sachdeva emerged the winner with Uday Kumar finishing runner-up. Meena Prakash went on to clinch the ladies’ title.