Vishesh Sharma held his nerve through a dramatic final round to secure his maiden professional title at the Telangana Golconda Masters at the Hyderabad Golf Club here on Friday. He closed with a one-under 69 to finish at 21-under 259, one stroke ahead of Amardeep Malik in the tournament’s 12th edition.
, and secured his place in the DP World India Championship.
Vishesh began the day with a four-shot advantage, but his route to victory was far from straightforward. His 69 featured seven birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey as Amardeep reduced the margin to one. The crucial response came after his double bogey on the par-four 13th. He then made consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th to retain the lead.
“The double bogey came down to nerves. I hit one poor shot and then attempted a recovery that wasn’t really available, so I paid the price. But the two birdies that followed helped me hold the lead. The lag putt on the 18th was particularly important and helped me finish the job,” Vishesh later explained.
The victory completed a journey that began when Vishesh attended a DP World PGTI event here as a junior in 2021.
“I remember watching many top players that week. To have watched the professionals here as a youngster, then compete on the same course and now win a title is difficult to put into perspective,” he stated.
Amardeep (61-65-68-66) mounted a strong challenge with a closing four-under 66 but had to settle for a runner-up finish at 20-under 260. His eventful round contained an eagle on the par-five sixth, six birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.
Akshay Sharma (69-69-63-60) matched the course record with the lowest round of the day, a 10-under 60. His round featured an eagle, 10 birdies and two bogeys, including four successive birdies from the third through the sixth. He climbed into a share of third at 19-under 261. Honey Baisoya (64-64-68-65) joined Akshay in third after making seven birdies and two bogeys in a 65.
Angad Cheema (66-67-66-66) finished fifth at 15-under 265, followed by Ajeetesh Sandhu (65-69-67-65) in sixth at 14-under 266. Rashid Khan (68-69-63-67) and Kshitij Naveed Kaul (68-66-65-68) shared seventh at 13-under 267. Defending champion Jamal Hossain (72-66-72-68) of Bangladesh finished tied 30th at two-under 278. His final round featured a hole-in-one on the par-three third, marking a fourth ace of the week.
