The Mulligans and Punjab Aces booked their places in the Chandigarh Golf League (CGL) final after edging past the Sultans of Swings and two-time defending champions Captain’s 18, respectively — both by identical 4-3 margins — at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Thursday.
The results ensure a new champion would be crowned on Saturday. Both semifinal were decisive, with the leads taking shape early before the finalists held firm to progress.
The Mulligans took on the in-form Sultans and rose to the challenge, as Angad Sangha wrapped up his singles game 5&3. Earlier, Tarun Veer Singh Lehal had put the first point on the board for the Sultans with a 5&4 win. Saurabh Singh Mangat and R.S. Cheema combined to claim a 3&1 victory after Dilsher Sukhija and Sampat Singh’s 4&3 win had kept the Sultans’ hopes alive.
However, the last two fourball games went comfortably to the Mulligans, courtesy of Bismad Singh and Angad Matharoo, along with the pairing of Amrinder Singh and Jaskeerat Kaur Matharoo. Gauhar Pruthi and Surinder Jit Singh also caught a lucky break on
the 15th hole before showing composure to close outtheir match on the 16th, sealing the Mulligans’ place in the final.
In the other semi-final, the Punjab Aces and Captain’s 18, having met earlier in the round-robin stage, were well aware of each other’s strengths. The defending champions tweaked their line-up after their earlier loss, but Mivaan Singh quickly capitalised, cruising to a 6&5 win for the Aces. HS Kang followed with a hard-fought 2&1 singles victory.
Just like in the group stage, all matches were closely contested, even though at one stage the Aces led across the board. TS Grewal and Akshay Verma were comfortable in the anchor game, meaning the Aces needed to secure just two of the remaining four fourball matches.
Balpreet Ghuman and Gursharan Grewal obliged with a 2&1 win in the first fourball and Jaskirat Dulet and Rupinder Singh clinched another 2&1 victory to confirm the Aces’ spot in the final. Padamjit Singh Sandhu and RS Mann earned a 2&1 win, while Col AS Bajwa and Saurabh Nagpal salvaged a 3&2 consolation victory for the outgoing champions. The Sultans and Captain’s 18 would now contest the third-place playoff before the Mulligans and Punjab Aces tee off in Saturday’s title decider.
