Panchkula's Angad Cheema continues top form, wins PGTI's main tour title in Ahmedabad
Cheema, 35, carded a final round score of two-under-70 and an overall score of 13-under-275 to edge out Noida golfer Amardeep Malik by four shots to win the Rs 1-crore Coal India Open played at Kensville Golf & Country Club in Ahmedabad. The golfer had won the Bengaluru title after the end of the first half of the PGTI calendar.
'Winning back-to-back PGTI titles is a special feeling. It gives me a lot of confidence for this year. I was all about winning and believing in myself this whole week and I am glad that I could win the title here. The course here was playing long as it was raining most of the time. The fairways were also slow and I had to adjust my game accordingly. To win the title here with a four-shot lead will give me a lot of confidence,' shared Cheema while speaking with The Indian Express from Ahmedabad.
The Panchkula-based golfer, who had become the All India Amateur Champion by winning the 111th edition of the All India Amateur Golf Championship at Chandigarh Golf Club in 2012, started playing the sport at the age of 13 with his father Brigadier A S Cheema sending him to Army Golf Course at Wellington, a city where he was also posted during that time.
In 2011, Cheema was a part of the Indian team that won a bronze medal in the Nomura Cup in Fiji after a gap of 18 years and was also instrumental in helping the Indian team win the SAARC Golf Championship in Jaipur the same year.
He had won his first PGTI title as a professional in the form of Dialog Enterprise Invitational on the PGTI tour apart from winning the Jaipur PGTI Feeder Tour event the same year. Last year, the golfer won a PGTI title after a gap of 11 years when he had won the Vizag Open. Earlier in April this year, Cheema won the Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational 2025 with a score of 20-under-196 after the end of three rounds. It was his biggest win in terms of prize money as he pocketed a cheque of Rs 30 lakh.
Cheema said that winning the title at Vizag last year gave him a lot of boost in terms of motivation as well the winning edge on the professional circuit.
'Working with my coach Jesse Grewal and trainer Lavish Chaudhary also meant that I was in good shape. The Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational was played under a new format with three rounds including 60 men and 12 women apart from amateur golfers, and the win was special in my career too as it came in a new format,' the golfer further said.
Post the win in April, Cheema also played in one of the Final British Open Qualifiers at West Lancashire and finished tied 43rd. While Cheema currently does not have an Asian Tour or DP World Tour card, the PGTI title win this year means that he will most likely play in the DP World Tour's inaugural India Championship in October in Delhi — an event where five-time major winner Rory Mcllroy will also be playing.
'Playing in the British Open Final Qualifiers helped me a lot in terms of understanding the different conditions. I will be playing on the PGTI tour including the Trident Open to be played in Chandigarh in November later this year. I hope I will be able to play in the DP World Tour's inaugural India Championship in October too based on my PGTI Order of Merit points and I will then decide at the year end to go for Asian Tour or European Tour qualifying,' Cheema concluded.
Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships.
An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
18 minutes ago
- Mint
Kohli-Rohit Future: No clarity post Australia tour but will they play for India A games vs Aus A?
New Delhi, Aug 10 (PTI) Speculation over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's ODI future has intensified, but the Indian cricket board is in no rush to take a call on the two maestros. With the Bangladesh series scheduled in August being called off, India's next ODI assignment will be an away series from October 19-25 against Australia. However whether Rohit and Kohli will be playing ODIs post Australia tour is a thing of conjecture. There is a school of thought in the BCCI that, for the duo to get ready for the Australia series Down Under, they can play a couple of India A games in India when the Australia A team — which will have Jake Fraser-McGurk in its ranks — tours. The three List A games will be played in Kanpur on September 30, October 3 and October 5, at the same time the senior team plays the first Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad. Indian cricket runs on narratives and currently it is about whether Kohli and Rohit, with a cumulative 83 ODI hundreds and 25,000-plus runs, can last till the October 2027 ODI World Cup when they would be 39 and 40-year old respectively. "Obviously, if they (Rohit and Kohli) have something in mind, they would tell the BCCI brass like they did before the England Test tour. But from an Indian team's perspective, the next big assignment is the T20 World Cup in February and preparations before that. The immediate focus will be on sending the best team for the Asia Cup T20 tournament, hoping all players are fit and available," a BCCI source privy to the developments told PTI on conditions of anonymity. The BCCI never believes in taking decisions in haste and would always gauge the mood and public perceptions before taking a call, which is sensitive in nature considering the massive fan following of the two players. The last tournament that they played was the Champions Trophy in Dubai where Kohli scored a hundred in a successful chase against Pakistan at the group league stage, while Rohit starred with a sublime half-century in the chase during the final. However, both have not played competitive cricket since the conclusion of the Indian Premier League. Kohli, who is now a resident of London, had recently posted an Instagram story after an indoor nets session, which is an indicator that he has started training. Rohit, who was also in the UK on a break post IPL, is recently back in Mumbai and would certainly be expected to start training in a few days. While there are some media reports about BCCI offering the duo a farewell game at Sydney on October 25, the BCCI source in the know of things said that as of now, no such discussions have taken place. As far as playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy is concerned, the source said that the national One-Day Championship starts on December 24, 2025 and even before that, there is another three-match ODI series at home against South Africa starting November 30. "Even if they play Vijay Hazare, before that there would already be six ODIs that will be played. In between the Australia ODIs and the South Africa ODIs, there is an India A series against South Africa A where three List A games (50 overs) will be held at Rajkot on November 13, 16 and 19 respectively. "Now, will the duo want to play those three A games, or possibly two, before the South Africa series is the question. Even more important is whether Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues would want that," he said. "Overlapping the Vijay Hazare Trophy (December 24, 2025 - January 18, 2025) will be the three ODIs between India and New Zealand (January 11, 14, 18). So even if they play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, it can't be for more than two to three games," he added.
News18
28 minutes ago
- News18
AIFF Announces $25,000 Reward For U-20 Women's Team After Historic AFC Asian Cup Qualification
The AIFF announced a $25,000 incentive for the Indian U-20 women's team after they qualified for the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup, topping Group D unbeaten. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday announced a cash incentive of USD 25,000 for the Indian U-20 women's team following their qualification for the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup for the first time since 2006. The Young Tigresses sealed top spot in Group D with seven points, wrapping up their qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over hosts Myanmar in Yangon. Midfielder Pooja scored the decisive goal in the 27th minute, initiating a counter-attack before finishing the move herself. Dominant and Unbeaten Campaign India's qualification run was marked by defensive solidity and attacking flair. The team began with a goalless draw against Indonesia, followed by a commanding 7-0 win over Turkmenistan, before edging past Myanmar. Remarkably, they remained unbeaten and did not concede a single goal in the qualifiers. The AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup will be held in Thailand in April 2026, bringing together the continent's best youth teams. The AIFF credited the achievement to 'sustained planning and developmental efforts over the past few years" in partnership with the Sports Authority of India. The U-20 squad has been in camp since December 2024, spending 135 days together in preparation. Their build-up included participation in the Pink Ladies Youth Cup in Turkey, where they beat Hong Kong and Jordan, as well as training stints with the senior national team. They also played two friendlies against Uzbekistan U-20s in Tashkent, drawing 1-1 and winning 4-1. The AIFF also highlighted the role of the ASMITA Women's Football Leagues in boosting grassroots participation, citing a '232% increase" in registered women footballers over the past year. The 2025-26 season has already begun with the U-13 ASMITA Football Leagues, featuring 50 tournaments across 26 states, involving around 8,000 players from 400 teams. (with PTI inputs) view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Explosive report denies Kohli, Rohit exit talk, says BCCI in no rush to decide future: ‘Whether Agarkar wants that'
The earlier reports of a farewell being planned for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma does not hold any relevance. According to a new report, BCCI is in no hurry to take a decision on the ODI future of Kohli and Sharma. read more Having successfully promulgated the transition to Test cricket, rising speculations hinted that BCCI could re-evaluate the ODI squad and subsequently, the future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be ascertained. However, given that there is no urgent need to take the call, the board has kept the decision on hold. As the series against Bangladesh has been called off, India's next ODI assignment is scheduled to take place in October against Australia. Rohit and Kohli's selection could envisage whether the board sees the two stalwarts in the scheme of things for the 2027 ODI World Cup. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Decision on Kohli and Rohit not a priority right now for BCCI Nonetheless, the ODI World Cup is not a concern in front of the BCCI, and as reported by PTI, the board's immediate focus is to figure out an ideal squad for the Asia Cup and following that, the attention will shift to the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in February. 'Obviously, if they (Rohit and Kohli) have something in mind, they would tell the BCCI brass like they did before the England Test tour. But from an Indian team's perspective, the next big assignment is the T20 World Cup in February and preparations before that. The immediate focus will be on sending the best team for the Asia Cup T20 tournament, hoping all players are fit and available,' a BCCI source privy to the developments told PTI on conditions of anonymity. Eventually, the time will come when the board will have to take the call. However, BCCI will consider different factors before coming up with a judgement. The last tournament the Rohit-Kohli duo featured in was the Champions Trophy of 2025, which India won. Based on how the batters fared in the tournament, it certainly seems they still have a lot to offer. Notably, Kohli made a century against arch-rivals Pakistan, and captain Rohit made a blistering half-century in the final against New Zealand, which set the tone for a 4-wicket victory. Following that, they were expected to play in the recently concluded England series, but left their fans shell-shocked by announcing a Test retirement. Both made their respective decisions public during May. Considering the fact that both are now active in ODI cricket only, they have remained inactive since the end of the IPL 2025. As the fans are waiting for the return of Kohli and Sharma, some media reports emerged out of the ordinary and claimed that the duo could be offered a farewell game at Sydney on October 25. However, the BCCI source has revealed to PTI that no such discussions have taken place. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ajit Agarkar and colleagues will make the call Coming back to the topic of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's return, the Vijay Hazare Trophy is another avenue where the two could feature and make headlines. However, paying heed to it, the BCCI source has stated that given the packed schedule, it would be unlike that the two will play more than three games of the domestic tournament. 'Even if they play Vijay Hazare, before that, there would already be six ODIs that will be played. In between the Australia ODIs and the South Africa ODIs, there is an India A series against South Africa A where three List A games (50 overs) will be held at Rajkot on November 13, 16 and 19 respectively. 'Now, will the duo want to play those three A games, or possibly two, before the South Africa series is the question. Even more important is whether Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues would want that,' he said. 'Overlapping the Vijay Hazare Trophy (December 24, 2025 - January 18, 2025) will be the three ODIs between India and New Zealand (January 11, 14, 18). So even if they play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, it can't be for more than two to three games,' he added.
