Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6

The last day of Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational Golf Tournament was extended by a day, the first time in the history of the PGTI, after local favourite Karandeep Kochhar made a sweeping comeback to set up a playoff title race with Anirban Lahiri, at Chandigarh Golf Club, today.

what the rule says

As per Rule 9.4 (b): Penalty for lifting or deliberately touching your ball or causing it to move, if one lift or deliberately touch ball at rest or cause it to move, you get one penalty stroke. But there are four exceptions where you get no penalty for doing so:

Exception 1 - When one is allowed to lift or move ball;

Exception 2 - Accidental movement before ball is found

Exception 3 - Accidental movement on putting green and

Exception 4 - Accidental movement anywhere except on putting green while applying rule.

For the third consecutive year, this tournament’s winner will be decided on a playoff. Indian star and former Asia No. 1 Lahiri (70-68-70-69) and local favourite Kochhar (76-66-67-68) extended into Monday due to fading light. The third extra hole of the playoff will resume on Monday.

The protagonists Kochhar and Lahiri ended the regulation 72 holes with matching totals of 11-under-277, Kochhar, who began the week with a disappointing 76, made a grand comeback with his determined last round of 68 while Lahiri stayed the course with a resilient 69.

At the end of regulation play, Kochhar incurred a one-stroke penalty for accidentally causing the ball to move on the 17th hole. The local lad, playing on his home course, joined seven-time international winner Lahiri in a playoff to decide the winner.

Kochhar collected birdies with 10 to 20 feet conversions on the fourth, eighth and 11th. He also chipped-in for birdie on the 15th and landed bunker shots within six and four feet for birdies on the second and 16th. On the 17th, his ball landed in the right rough before he accidentally caused it to move thus resulting in a double-bogey there.

Lahiri on the other hand was not having it easy on the front-nine as he dropped two bogeys in exchange for a birdie. But his round was back on track as he tap-in birdies on the 13th and 16th and a 15-feet birdie conversion on the 15th. The two-time winner on the European Tour then picked up another birdie on the 17th.

“It’s great to fight my way back into the tournament after a poor start in round one. I feel I got better with each day. I was disappointed about the one-shot penalty I had to incur,” said Kochhar. While Anirban said, “I just had no momentum going on the front-nine today. I was trying to be patient and finally hit my stride from the 13th but was still unable to apply pressure on Kochhar.”

Curious case of penalty

According to onlookers, Kochhar was told to pick the ball by the tournament referee and thereafter he relocated it in the fairway. However, later some PGTI member came to him and informed him about the penalty. "He could have played accordingly. He was told there's no penalty and he can touch the ball. But later, he was told about the penalty. It has mentally affected his game," said Gurdeep Kochhar, Kochhar's grandfather.