New Delhi, March 5 The UP Prometheans and Rajasthan Regals will aim to write a new chapter when they face off for the title in the inaugural '72 The League' here on Friday.
After five league stage matches, the championship will be decided in the final, which will be held at the Qutab Golf Course.
While the winning team will receive Rs 1 crore and the runners-up Rs 50 lakh, the other four teams – Charminar Champions, Nava Raipur, Mumbai Aces, and Kolkata Classics – will also be competing for the plate trophy.
Both finalists were tied at 32 points after the third round, and Rajasthan opened a narrow 4-point lead going into the final round. However, in a day of improbable twists and turns, the Prometheans beat them 10-4 to secure the top spot.
This included a thrilling final four-ball match where Manoj S and Abhinav Lohan staged a comeback from a difficult position to halve their match against Dhruv Sheoran and Yuvraj Singh, despite being three holes down with three holes remaining.
Both teams entered the finals after an emotional rollercoaster. Rajasthan were disappointed after halving their four-ball match, but were elated when they secured second place in the final through a countback against Charminar Champions.
Interestingly, the captains of both teams, Ajeetesh Sandhu (Rajasthan Regals) and Shaurya Bhattacharya (UP Prometheans) – who both played all the matches and remained undefeated with four wins and one half – shared similar sentiments.
"The team morale is excellent. I think it was a phenomenal experience for us to have gone through five days of competition, leading most of the time, then feeling like we had it, and then losing it, and then regaining it," Sandhu said.
"I think going through all those emotions as a group, for the first time, was an incredible feeling. We are really looking forward to it, and we are absolutely ready. We have a good team, and we now have a very good understanding of what works for us."
Bhattacharya said his team was ready for Rajasthan, who will be looking for revenge.
"This is the dream scenario. We have a great team owner and staff, and from the very beginning, we have focused on how we can have a chance of winning the inaugural League. As it turns out, we will have that chance as we finished in the top two," he said.
"Qutab is a perfect venue for the final. It is located in the heart of Delhi, and that should attract a large audience to watch. It has some very interesting holes for match play – some holes where long hitters may drive the ball onto the green."
"However, I always believe that the team that putsts better, has a better chance of winning. This is true in strokeplay, but even more true in match play."
