Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Fresh Slate




In line?


He's a reporter's delight, always ready to talk, and always with something smart to talk about. But among all those tales from his early career, or his first year travelling around the continent as a living-out-of-the-suitcase professional, there is one that he'll surely never tire of telling. 


A little over two years after he turned pro, having left behind his worth-remembering amateur career, and after several close brushes, Anirban Lahiri has finally won his first professional title -- at the Haryana Open in Panchkula. 


He shot a 69 in the final round, keeping his head while the overnight leaderboard's main names lost theirs. There was back nine bogey in his round too, but the Bangalore boy held on to finish ahead of C Muniyappa. Muniyappa shot a 66, coming up from some shadowy place on the scoresheet to be just one behind his friend. 


Lahiri had jumped up to the second place at the week before's DLF Masters, had flattered, and then come up a little short at the Bilt Open last year, blasted a course record ten-under 62 at the SAIL Open, put together four good rounds for a best-ever fourth place at the Black Mountain Masters, and managed another top-ten on the Asian Tour (Queen's Cup). Now he has a win on his CV, one entry that will always be marked in bold. 


It was relief, more than even joy, as Lahiri said later. He had been used to winning finishing his amateur career, and people around him had been used to seeing him win. 


Next, there might be comparisons with Gaganjeet Bhullar, who had to wait a long time for his first win too, and who took off rapidly from there, as has been well documented now. "A lot of people have been talking to me about Gaganjeet and how he changed after his first title," Anirban told us. "It is definitely a big sort of block off your mind once you have won, so I guess it matters. I will not be happy till I have made this translate into good performances on the Asian Tour." 


He's not badly placed on the Order of Merit, 52nd at the moment, but the season's Q-School graduate will have to make sure he finishes well to make sure of his next year's card. He gets his chance to start right away, being off to Chinese Taipei this week for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. It'll be fun to see now how this story unfolds.

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

One For The Album

It was a good four days, and even though the heat got to us, we did manage a few nice pictures. Here is a collection of some that told the tale of the week...











Shiv Kapur, surprisingly, slipped out of everyone's radar this past week and couldn't really put on the kind of show we would expect from a European Tour regular. He seemed cheerful enough all through the week and in the end finished tied for 10th place.










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The kids were a constant feature through the week and it was great to see them taking notes. Most of them ended up following Bhullar on the course, even before he had done anything spectacular. It was quite clear who the crowd favourite was!





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He started the week as the number one player on the merit list, missed the cut and by the end of the week, even lost the number one spot. The Delhi heat surely didn't go down well with Mukesh Kumar

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Take it from us, that's the only time during the week that the local boy sported a grin. A tough outing it was for the tournament favourite.











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Anirban scrambled to put together the best round on the final day to leap to second spot. You can ignore us if you want to but Ban Ban Lahiri is just a win away from joining Gagan at the much-improved-game-thanks-to-confidence-boost platform.







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There, that's the final day captured in one single frame. The look on Jyoti's face just says it all




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THAT'S THE MAN

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Monday, September 21, 2009

Bhullar Breaks Randhawa Spell

The pleasing lilt that hums its way around the course was missing all week, the heat robbing the place of its charm. But on Sunday, as the blazing sun glared down at its oppressive best, a gentle breeze was blowing across the landscape of Indian golf. Jyoti Randhawa and Gaganjeet Bhullar took distinctly different routes to ready the stage for the grand finish at the DLF Masters. Randhawa was told the script would be fairly simple, a steady round would ensure that the young turk would fall in line and finish an obedient second. But for Bhullar, a heady week in star-filled Turnberry in the early season had given the mind sufficient fodder for mischief and the will enough strength to stay resolute. A brazen charge helped Bhullar deliver his fifth win on tour to continue his unbeaten run and help break the Randhawa spell on domestic turf.





As the two got the final 18 holes underway, it was the 21-year-old who took the first hit but the senior pro who wavered. A one-foot putt that grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out on the par-3 third, started an unlikely meltdown for Randhawa. Bhullar, meanwhile, waited for his senior’s bogey streak to stop for him to start his run. A regulation birdie on the par-5 sixth was followed by his fourth straight birdie-steal from the bunker-guarded seventh hole to extend the lead to five shots. With Randhawa failing to put together a charge, the Kapurthala pro made his third birdie of the day, from a picture-perfect spot on the ninth green, to head into the back nine with a definitive six-shot lead.


For Randhawa, the challenge was all but over, a thought that Bhullar, by his own confession, allowed to play in his head as they approached the last few holes. But with fifty other professionals making the four-hour trek around the course, and a few notable names inching up towards the leader, the win was yet to be sealed. Shamim Khan threatened, but quietened down. Ashok Kumar promised, but stopped short and Anirban Lahiri charged up the leaderboard but had to be content with an unexpected second-place finish. Bhullar, on the other hand, kept the bogeys away from his card and added a couple of birdies, heading to the 18th green five clear of the next best name. 


A ten-foot putt was needed to maintain that victory margin, and he duly obliged. Not because a five-putt quadruple-bogey would have severely shrunk his bragging rights but because that putt delivered a silent statement of intent, of promise.  The same young shoulders would return to the DLF Golf & Country Club in a few weeks’ time, with the heavy weight of expectations and the added burden of leading the home charge during the week that matters, the Indian Open week.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Better Finish?


It's not the best of starts, but then again, they have three more rounds to make it up in. When it comes to our young 'uns, we like being optimistic!


Abhishek Jha -- at one-over 73 -- was the best of the lot as the team started its campaign at the Asia-Pacific amateur team championships in South Korea. Rashid (76) and debutant Pawan (79) were the other two whose scores were counted to make the team total of twelve-over 228 as Karan Vasudeva went nine-over. That's 16 huge shots off first-round leaders Koreans, but as we said, we still think the tied sixth spot can go northwards as they try to repeat 1973.


Back then, the Indian team had staged a proper heist on favourites Japan, winning by three shots to get the country a first ever international team title in golf. The quartet of steady seniors RK Pitamber and PG Sethi and youngsters Vikramjit Singh and Lakshman Singh made themselves a chapter of Indian history by winning the biennial tournament. 


We spoke to Lakshman Singh, who, in 1982, also went on to win the individual and team gold at the Asian Games. He still plays Senior events around the world along with Vikramjit Singh, though the two 'elder statesmen' of the team have passed.


"We were playing against some really strong teams in Jakarta," he says. "Japan, with Ginjiro Nakabe, Tsutomu Irie, Michio Mori and Tetsuo Sakata, were one of the strongest teams, as those players were supposed to be the world's best amateurs at the time. The Taiwanese team also had Mister Lu, who was quite young at that time, but still undoubtedly talented, as he showed later.


Lakshman Singh says it was a great team effort from each of them, guided perfectly by Pitamber, who was also the captain of the team. "He kept us all really calm throughout, and it felt just wonderful to win, specially for me since it was my first ever international tournament."


We do hope that one day many years down the line, Pawan is telling our grandkids something similar about his first international outing!

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Monday, September 14, 2009

Gagan Keeps Going And An Old Times' Tale

At least this time there was no heartbreaking play-off. Gaganjeet Bhullar made another last-day charge to end second at an Asian Tour tournament, but unlike in Brunei, this week's Macau Open was being run his own way by another player. Thai senior Thaworn Wiratchant's five-shot lead starting out the last day threatened to be spectacularly similar to that of another player sharing his initials, just playing on the other side of the world.

Wiratchant finally won by six shots, but Gagan's five-under 66 pushed him up from his overnight tied seventh. Having not started off on a very bright note -- Gagan just managed an even-par round on the opening day -- it is terrific that the youngster is making a habit of finishing well.

He's going to be playing at home finally this week, at the DLF Masters, as the domestic tour finally plays its first real big tournament of the year. Jyoti and Shiv are supposed to be there too, so this week should be a fun one.

Talking of the domestic tour, last week's Players' Championship at Chandigarh had a curiousity worth talking about. With rain pelting down almost each day, most of the play was washed out because of 'unplayable conditions', we were told. So, in addition to being forced to cut down the number of rounds to just two, the organisers also took one hole -- the water-logged 5th -- out of play. So the end of Amandeep Johl's long title wait came in a tournament played over 34 holes!

We tried to dig into precendents of such a big cut, and the one interesting one we found was the Surya Nepal Masters of 2002, a tournament that was part of the regular Indian circuit back then. It seems that foggy conditions had forced the last round to be played just over 14 holes, an effective par 55!

Mukesh Kumar had finished second behind US Mundy there and he recalled the day to us. "The players were really keen on the tournament not going into the next day as we had to catch a flight to Kolkata for a tournament in the next week. The next flight out was a couple of days later, and so, it was decided to reduce the number of holes," Mukesh said.

According to PGTI -- the current domestic tour -- chief tournament referee Sampath Chari, both the sponsors and players are keen to finish off in time, and so such a step is taken.

Mukesh, though, feels that it could sometimes turn out to be slightly unfair. "It has to be done, since the main idea is to finish the tournament, but playing over just a few holes is often not an accurate measure," he said.

Well, Mukesh had finished joint runner-up in Kathmandu, though he just managed a tied eighth in Chandigarh.

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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Jeev Overlooked By Norman; Hero Honda Relieved!


Like we said, despair for one camp and joy for the other. Jeev has been overlooked by Greg Norman who chose to go with Ryo Ishikawa and Adam Scott as his two picks to complete the International team lineup for the Presidents Cup.

So now, provided Jeev doesn't pick up an injury and doesn't take a liking for the Madrid Masters, he is likely to play the Indian Open. With the 45-year-old tournament bumping up the prize money by 25 per cent, there is no reason why Jeev should miss the Open.

As for Greg Norman, we can understand picking Ryo Ishikawa, but Adam Scott?



Here's Adam Scott's performance in the last 15 tournaments, from the Barclays back till the Transitions Championship-:

T58--MC--MC--T51--MC--T4--T36--MC--T64--MC--MC--MC--MC--MC--MC

It adds up to one top-ten finish and ten missed cuts in his last 15 starts. That's one helluva punt, Mr Norman!

Aussie Golfer put up ten reasons why Norman may have picked Scott. Here are our favourites from that list-:

  • He thought he could teach him about dating a tennis player and tell him what love really means to them.
  • Robert Allenby threatened to quit if he didn't
  • He thought he had to make picks for the opposition team.
  • Anna Rawson wasn't eligible.



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Monday, September 7, 2009

Bitter Cheese In Switzerland


It was a pretty disappointing week for the Indians at the European Masters in Switzerland with no one managing to get into the top-10. Jyoti Randhawa emerged as the best Indian on display after he carded his second successive round of one-under 70 to finish tied for 32nd place.

Jeev Milkha Singh could have made a final-day charge but a run of poor holes laid to rest his hopes of a good finish and would definitely not have gone down well with Greg Norman, who is on the prowl for his two picks for the Presidents Cup. Jeev’s 74 meant that he finished 49th on the leaderboard. Shiv Kapur, fresh from his top-ten showing at Gleneagles, had a horrid weekend, with the double bogeys refusing to get off his back and was hovering around the bottom rungs of the leaderboard. Gaganjeet Bhullar unfortunately failed to make the cut this week.

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Everyone has been talking about Jeev’s great desire to be a part of the Presidents Cup but if Norman chooses not to pick him, it could well be a blessing in disguise. The dates of the Indian Open and the Presidents Cup clash this year, and if Jeev is chosen to represent the International team then he would have to forego the national open which may not be the best thing in the world. This is assuming that Jeev would give the Indian Open preference over the European Tour event that would take place that week.

Here at IGT, opinions are clearly divided and whatever the Shark decides on, it will bring joy to one camp and despair to the other.

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Saturday, September 5, 2009

Rashid Scripts Incredible Win

It looked like a scene straight out of Blood Diamond with the men wading around in knee-deep water, hunting for the precious round object. The referee, rather wisely, chose to stand outside the waterlogged bunker and listed the various possibilities to Rashid Khan. There was no way the Delhi boy was going to consider the penalty drop, not when he started the day five shots back and definitely not when he was desperate for a win on his home course. The ball was found and a free drop was allowed in the back of the bunker. No problem sir! He took out his 8-iron to send the ball 155 yards to the green, 20 feet from the pin and promptly converted the putt to rev up the decibel levels.



The 18-year-old entered the Northern India Amateur without a win in his last three appearances on tour and that was one record he wanted to set straight. He had climbed to the top of the leaderboard by the halfway stage but what followed was his worst round on the amateur circuit since he first tasted victory on tour in the last edition of the Northern India. It was Abhishek Jha who was at the helm of affairs with the 15-year-old Ankur Chadha close behind him before the final round. Abhishek had earlier in the week surprised everyone by announcing his decision to hang up his amateur boots and jump into the trying world of professional golf at the end of the year.

But on the final day, with an embarrassing third round performance to overcome, Rashid was intent on stealing the limelight and he did it in grand fashion, albeit, in the penultimate group. It took him just eight holes to join the leaders and another hole after that to hold the lead on his own.

Ankur, in his first showing on tour, tried to match Rashid’s pace as the competition moved to the back-nine. He even pulled ahead of him for a couple of minutes before Rashid caught up once again. With the two still locked in battle, with Rashid on the 17th tee and Ankur on the 16th green, it was Rashid’s caddy who assessed the situation and pressed home the need for another birdie. Rashid did one better, finishing birdie-birdie and it was enough to knock the wind out of Ankur’s challenge and the resultant 66, good enough to keep the trophy in the Khan household.

Ankur impressed everyone with his tenacity and ability to hold his own in the leadergroup. The Chandigarh Open Amateur and the tournaments that follow will really tell us if his showing was a flash in the pan or a prelude to greater deeds. We sincerely hope he does enough to add his name into the vessel which is running dry in search of promising names for the future. And while we are at it, we will also keep a close eye on Honey Baisoya who at 13 did fairly well this week. If only someone weans him off his want to turn pro in a couple of years!

Rashid’s challenge on tour might be slim but a final-round 66 to walk off with the title is a commendable performance at any level and it was no surprise then that it gave him enough confidence to deliver his first victory speech. His first after six wins from just 12 starts.


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