LUBUMBASHI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Aryan Roopa Anand had been knocking on the doors of victory for so long that it was only a matter of time before it opened. It finally did at the AM Green IGPL Invitational Congo at the Par-73 Golf de Lubumbashi course in Congo in Africa.
The 25-year-old Mysore-born boy who dreams of being a global golfer, finally crossed the line into the winner’s circle, but not before some tense moments. Pegged at 16-under after a final bogey, Anand was tied with Udayan Mane, who was seeking back-to-back wins. After two extra holes that went equal, Aryan finally pulled ahead in the third and took the Trophy.
Anand, who plays for RVR Delhi, shot a stunning 8-under 65 at the Par-73 course, and it included a superb run of five birdies from the 11th on the back nine that had placed him at 16-under with three holes left. Another birdie on the 17th made it 17-under, and it seemed he was through. But the bogey on the 18th saw him finish at 16-under.
Another contender, Shaurya Binu (68) of Honer Gurugram, playing alongside Anand, finished at 15-under. He ended third. But moments later, the hard-working Udayan Mane of Atri Mumbai, not only eagled the Par-5 17th but also birdied the 18th hole to join Aryan at 16-under and force a play-off.
The play-off saw Anand get the better of the more experienced Mane, a former Olympian and a multiple winner in India, before his maiden AM Green IGPL success seven days earlier in Johannesburg, South Africa. It took three play-off holes to separate them, and Anand was up to the task.
Atri Mumbai win team contest in Congo, hold overall lead
Atri Mumbai were well-served by Udayan Mane (70-68-65) and Tushar Pannu (67-71-68) and Aman Raj (69-71-66), each of whom had their cards counted on two of the three days. They finished at a whopping 32-under and 13 shots ahead of Leander Paes’ team Flyingman Kolkata, who were well represented by Kartik Sharma and Syed Saqib Ahmed.
RVR Delhi once again got a final day boost from Anand, whose scores counted on each day and he was assisted by former Asian Tour winner, Chiragh Kumar. Overall Atri Mumbai lead the standings with 270 points, with Green Fuels Vizag in second place at 220 and RVR Delhi are in third spot with 210. The two best cards are counted on each day of each event to decide each tournament winner and the final team champions will be decided at the end of the season.
[This story has been generated from a syndicated feed and contains only minor edits by our team]
If you liked this article, consider subscribing to our website to stay in touch with the latest updates in sports. You can also follow the India Sports Tribune on X and Instagram. We would love to talk to you!
Leave a Reply