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Aman Raj of Patna maintained his lead at the top and emerged as the champion of the Telangana Golconda Masters 2023 presented by Telangana Tourism and Bollineni Panache on Saturday. His total score read 18 under 262.
Held at the Hyderabad Golf Club in Golconda, Aman was able to discard his opponents one by one and keep a tight leash on the lead. The course was a tad challenging for him at times, and his putting as well as shot-making in general seemed to be a tad awry.
However, fate smiled on the man from Bihar as he kept his composure through the rough phases. Grinning from ear to ear in delight after the final stroke, Aman was congratulated by his relatives, who paid him a surprise visit in Hyderabad.
It was a truly special moment for Aman as his friend Imran rushed out to hug him, sticking with him after the ordinary time the former had in Vizag last week.
"This win is for my family and especially my friend Imran, who has stuck with me through thick and thin. I did not play very well last week in Vizag, but he was still with me, egging me on and making sure that I put in the hard yards to succeed here. He has supported me through the lows," said Aman.
"This win is thanks to my family" - Aman Raj
The 28-year-old, a two-time winner on the PGTI, did not have the easiest of times on the course and was often challenged by those who were coming up from behind.
Mysore's Yashas Chandra MS came a close second while Delhi's Sachin Baisoya and Chandigarh's Akshay Sharma were tied for third.
TATA Steel PGTI Rankings leader Om Prakash Chouhan, one of the most prominent names on the circuit, was tied for fifth alongside Gaurav Pratap Singh and Kshitij Naveed Kaul.
Commemorating the win, Aman said:
"This win is thanks to my family, coach (who is also my dad) Shashi Raj Sinha, friends and relatives. I could not have done this without their support and thank them wholeheartedly for bearing with me even when I was grumpy thinking about the next day's play."
He added:
"I missed a few shots today, but told myself to focus on the process and not worry about the result. The course here has been very kind to me. I am coming to Hyderabad for the third time, and finally managed to take home the winner's trophy."
