Golf: Talwar records best overseas finish of season with tied-12th at England Open
Worcestershire, June 22
Saptak Talwar produced his best performance outside India this season, narrowly missing out on a top 10 finish as he ended tied 12th at the English Open on the HotelPlanner Tour.
The 27-year-old Indian signed off with a four-under 68 to finish at 10-under-par for the week, just one stroke shy of a share of seventh place after an impressive final-round charge at The Vale Golf Club.
It was Talwar's best finish outside India and his second-best result of the season after finishing runner-up at the DP World PGTI Open in March.
Starting the final day in a share of 24th at six-under, Talwar climbed rapidly up the leaderboard with his strongest round of the tournament. He made five birdies against just one bogey, picking up shots on the second, 11th, 13th, 15th, and 17th holes. A birdie on the closing 18th would have earned him a place inside the top 10, but he settled for par to finish tied 12th.
Talwar had opened the week with a three-under 69 before adding rounds of 71 and 70 to remain in contention heading into the final round. His closing 68 highlighted an encouraging return to form ahead of the coming weeks on the HotelPlanner Tour.
The tournament was won by American John Catlin, who claimed his maiden HotelPlanner Tour title after a marathon seven-hole playoff against Norway's Kristian Krogh Johannessen.
Catlin carded a bogey-free five-under 67 in the final round, while Johannessen fired a flawless six-under 66 to erase a one-shot overnight deficit. The Norwegian birdied the 16th and 17th holes to draw level after Catlin had held a two-shot advantage through 15 holes.
Both players parred the 18th to force a playoff and then matched each other with six consecutive pars before Catlin finally rolled in a birdie on the seventh extra hole to seal victory. The win was also the Americans' fifth National Open title.
The English Open, which returned to the golfing calendar for the first time in 24 years, featured a distinguished list of former champions, including Colin Montgomerie, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam and Darren Clarke, with Catlin now adding his name to that illustrious roll of honour.
England's Barclay Brown and Sweden's Per Längfors shared third place at 13-under-par, while Germany's Alexander Knappe and American Jhared Hack finished tied fifth at 12-under.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Impressive consistency from Talwar. Four rounds in the 60s and 70s, culminating in a strong final round 68. He's knocking on the door of that top 10 finish. The DP World PGTI Open runner-up result earlier this year shows he has the game.
So close to that top 10! Just one more birdie on the 18th and he would've been in there. Still, tied 12th is a fantastic result. The Indian contingent on the HotelPlanner Tour is growing stronger. Hope he builds on this momentum. 🙏
Happy for Saptak but also a bit disappointed. He had a great chance to finish inside top 10. The final round charge was exciting though - five birdies! Shows he has the ability to go low when needed. Next time, hopefully he'll convert.
Loving the resurgence of the English Open after 24 years. Great to see Indian talent competing on such a historic stage. Talwar's steady improvement is commendable. This is exactly the kind of exposure Indian golfers need to compete globally.
While Talwar's result is good, I feel Indian golfers still need to work on their clutch putting. Missing a birdie on the 18th to get into top 10 shows the gap at the highest level. But he's young and learning. The future looks bright! 🏌️♂️
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