Chandigarh Golf League: Canam Raptors defeat Punjab Aces

The league saw Canam Raptors, Captains 18, Chandigarh Gladiators, Chashma Shah Royals, Empire, Fairway Comets, Golf Masters, Green Gators, Hunting Hawks, Netsmartz Tigers, Ninjas, Partee Panthers, Punjab Aces, Signature by KLV, Sleepy Owl, Chargers, Soaring Eagles, Sultans of Swing, Swinging Samurai, Tee Birds and The Mulligans, competing for the title. After the round-robin format and the knock-out stage, Canam Raptors emerged as the title winners.

It was a tense win for Raptors as they claimed the title win over Punjab Aces on the last hole of the regulation play of the last tie to claim the title. In the final, the Aces had taken an early lead. Rao Birender Singh of Punjab Acaes won the singles game 7&5 against former cricketer Rakesh Jolly.

The second game in the final saw Aces captain Padamjit Sandhu scoring a 4&2 win over Saurabh Mangat of Raptors to make Acaes lead in the fina. The pair of Goody Malhi and Air Marshal Jasvinder Chauhan of the Raptors then won the doubles game 4&3 against the pair of Harjorawar Singh Gill and Ajay Kanwar of the Aces.

The pair of MP Singh and SM Puri then won the doubles game to make Acaes lead 3-1 iin the final. Col IS Bains and Major General TPS Waraich then won the doubles game to make it 2-3 for Raptors. The Raptors then staged a comeback to make it 3.5.-3.5. With two games alive, it could have gone either way and a clutch putt on the 18th gave the Raptors the lead through the pair of Harjeet Singh and MPS Mann. The other game went into the last two holes with Raptors one up through Lt Col RPS Brar and team co-owner Maj Gen GS Malhi. Aces were still in with a chance with Pauline Sapphire Singh sinking a clutch putt on the 17th hole to square the game and the match. Lt Col RPS Brar’s par on the final hole clinched a memorable victory for the Raptors.

“It was an extraordinary performance by the team as we were not expected to be in the finals. Ten of us out of the 18 in our team are over 60 years and I’d say there are two things in life. Once you go over the hill, you begin to pick up speed and as Martina Navratilova said the ball does not know noone’s age. We believed in that and hence we were able to stick to our plans and execute what we needed to after a slow start to the tournament,” said Major General G S Malhi, captain of Canam Raptors.

In the third-place playoff, Netsmartz Tigers won 6-1 against Captain’s 18 to claim the third place. “The first edition of Chandigarh Golf League has been a success with almost 360 members playing in the league. We made sure that all handicaps were included and a minimum one woman member had to be in one team apart from minimum one member above 75 years in the team. We are hopeful that the league happens every year,’ said Lt Col H S Chahal (retd), president, Chandigarh Golf Club.