Delhi's Shamim Khan lifted his 10th title in style, easing to a five-shot victory with a steady one-under 71 in the final round of the IndianOil Servo Masters Golf 2014 at the Digboi Golf Links here today.
Shamim signed off with a rock-solid one-under 71 in round four of the Rs. 30 lakh PGTI event to finish with a tournament total of 13-under 275.
Kolkata's Shankar Das, who finished runner-up at eight-under 280 after returning an ordinary four-over 76 on Saturday, went past Rashid Khan to emerge leader in the Rolex Rankings.
Shamim (69-69-66-71), the overnight joint leader along with Shankar Das, had a slow start to the day as he bogeyed the first after pulling his tee shot into the rough.
However, the 36-year-old from the Delhi Golf Club soon found himself three shots ahead as his nearest challenger Shankar dropped four shots on the first three holes on a windy and overcast day.
Shamim then produced an exceptional chip to help himself to a tap-in birdie on the seventh. His bogey on the ninth didn't derail his efforts as he came back with a chip-in, his second of the week, for birdie on the 10th. He all but sealed the title with another brilliant chip on the 14th that led to a birdie.
As a result of his win, Shamim has now climbed from 22nd place to 15th position in the Rolex Rankings.
"The conditions were totally different today with the wind being a major factor. After Shankar and Karan dropped shots early, I looked to play steady and maintain my lead. I played some immaculate chip shots to set up birdies in round four. I would like to dedicate this win to my caddie Satya Prakash who got me my old putter from Delhi especially for this week's event. The putter made a big difference at the end as I converted most putts on the last two days."
Bangalorean C Muniyappa's final round 71 helped him claim third place at seven-under-281.
Sri Lankan N Thangaraja bagged fourth place at six-under-282 while Mohammad Sanju of Kolkata was a further shot back in fifth position.
