Showing posts with label Majors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Majors. Show all posts
Monday, August 17, 2009

Crouching Tiger, Smiling Yang


PGA Championship - Final RoundMajor triumph: A first for Asia

A few hours back, as the familiar drone of night gave way to the first signs of morning, Asian golf woke up to a new dawn. Looking the Tiger in the eye all the way through, Yang Yong-eun scripted his finest golfing moment and in the process became the first golfer from the region to clinch a Major.

With the final round slated for a late-night start and promising to go on till the early hours of Monday morning, staying up was a risky proposition. It has been a year where the Majors have been plagued by anti-climatic finishes but the thought of delicious golf likely to be served up through the Minnesota-afternoon was too tempting to be given a pass.

It was a day when the putts dried up for Tiger. The familiar grimace enveloped his face and with each passing hole, the crouch lasted longer, became more painful. In sharp contrast, the 37-year-old Korean embraced the occasion, a smile never too far from his face, and played attacking golf all the way through, a trait unknown to those who walk the course with the world number one on a Sunday afternoon. Nothing described Yang’s game more perfectly than his approach on the 18th as he went straight for the pin, from a less-than-perfect spot, nearly 200 yards back, and the ball finished in birdie range. He promptly converted the putt and went on to punch the air in delight, the celebration, if anything, a touch muted keeping in mind the enormity of the achievement.

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One couldn’t help but feel sorry for Harrington as the Irishman, for the second week running, made love with the green-side water body on the par-3 8th, ran up a snowman and effectively buried his chances of a title defence. And this time around, we’ll have Tiger know, there was no John Paramour chasing Paddy down with a stick.

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Oh, and for all the chants that will greet Yang on his arrival back in Jeju Island, there is one man who will not be very thrilled about it. Jeev Milkha Singh may have had a tough week but there was still the knowledge of automatically qualifying into the International team for the Presidents Cup that would have kept him perky. That was until Mr Yang charged to the title and pushed Jeev out of the top-ten international players in the rankings list. The Indian will now have to hope for Greg Norman to look at him with a kind eye, much like in this picture from the Open-:


Image courtesy: www.asiantour.com

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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Gone With The Wind


The wizened old man of links golf is setting the bar at Turnberry. Tom Watson is turning out to be the incredible, beautiful story of the 2009 British Open.

But for us, the thrill of watching the tiny tricolour image on the leaderboard was unfortunately cut short rather early. Among those who watch Indian golf closely, there was no one in the least surprised when Gaganjeet Bhullar qualified for his first Major appearance at the green age of 20 this April. The youngster, big-hitting, confident, and precociously talented, always stood from the rest of the teenage pack from the time he was an amateur.

This Friday at windy Turnberry though, Bhullar, who had started the British Open with a one-over 71, which was remarkable in the way he bounced back from two bad setbacks, failed to keep up with the challenge of the weather and the beautiful, but brutal golf course.

Bhullar's 77 in the second round, because of which he missed the cut by four shots, was not a measure of the 21-year-old’s skills. It was definitely one of his experience though. The young Irish star Rory McIlroy, you might say, also struggled, but managed to pull through to weekend action. But McIlroy, who has been playing on the European professional circuit for a while now, has practically grown up on courses like Ailsa.

That brings us to the question of the need of championship courses in India. Links golf, as Watson has proven in three days, is all about experience. The more you play, the better you do it. While it’s not a certainty that young Bhullar would’ve done extraordinarily well had he had more practice of links golf, we can be sure that he would’ve handled it much better. He certainly wouldn’t have needed to travel to Scotland 15 days in advance on his own money to get used to that kind of golf.

As Bhullar mentioned himself, there is only one setup at the moment in India that comes closest to being a links course. But even Gurgaon’s Golden Greens does not present a challenge remotely close to the ones in the British Isles. For one, the kind of wind that can wreak havoc in your round, rarely finds its way in there through the Aravalli ranges. The rough, too, is not wild enough to ensure that consistent disciplined hitting becomes imperative.

Getting tough, competitve championship courses might not be too popular at the beginning among the players, as the scoring is likely to shoot up, but it will pay dividends soon. It is the only way to ensure that when our players get to the big stage on their talent, they have the right kind of playing experience to make them stay there for long enough.
Image courtesy: www.asiantour.com

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Friday, July 17, 2009

Faltering First Step? Not Quite

The 138th Open Championship - Round One

Gagan surveys Turnberry with caddie Andrew Dearden

The sun shone nice and bright on Turnberry. No wonder it seemed like the recording from that 1977 Sunday was running on television. Tom Watson has provided the first day of the 2009 British Open a blockbuster script, but Gaganjeet Bhullar's opening-day show won't be only a footnote. Not when the name Tiger Woods will be entered in the same rung on the scoreboard. That's obviously not a fair enough reason to applaud Gagan though after his first competitive outing at Turnberry. And we found a better.

Gagan finished one-over 71, tied for the 68th spot. Not a fairytale beginning, but commendable considering the nervy beginning and a mid-round slump. Gagan's birdie lip-out on the first hole was followed, quite disastrously, by a triple after he overhit his putt on the par-four second and struggled to hole out despite having been on the green in three. He followed that up with a bogey, but found heart to strike rhythm and three straight birdies starting from the seventh.

But just in case you thought the nerves were gone, he made another mistake, giving away a double on the 14th after messing up his tee shot and getting back to four-over. But lo and behold, the three-birdie stretch was back -- from the 15 to the 17th -- as he finished pretty strongly, rescuing himself from going too deep down on the scoresheet.

As he said later: "Maybe I was just trying too hard. But ultimately, I was proud of the way I fought.

“It’s a pretty decent finish considering my shaky start. But after overcoming that, I slowly recovered and never looked back."

It's a morning tee-off for the debutant on Friday, and this time we hope, it's the score that does the dipping.

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Ruling At The Home Of Golf

34 rules should be easy to master, right? Or so many would think before reality dawns upon them. When the 34 rules give way to 34,000 interpretations, even the wisest are left scratching their heads. But Ishwar Achanta is not your common man. He could rattle off half the rules of golf before the quick brown fox can jump over the lazy dog. The Open in 2005 might have witnessed a special Tiger win and an emotional farewell for Jack Nicklaus, but it also wrote a new chapter in Indian golf. Achanta became the first Indian to officiate in a Major championship. With Gaganjeet Bhullar teeing off in less than two hours, we bounced a few questions off the man considered the encyclopedia of golf rules in India-:

Q. Tell us about your experience in 2005...

A. It was phenomenal. Most people didn't expect to see an Indian referee in a major golf tournament because India was not considered a part of the global golf map. The rookies got a chance to introduce themselves and it was a special moment when I introduced myself as a representative of the Indian Golf Union. To have got the chance in St Andrews, the home of golf, was even more special.

Q. Were you nervous when you started out?

A. I was assigned the group of Daniel Chopra and they teed off around four in the afternoon. It was a wet cold day and blustery throughout, just like you would expect it in Scotland. When they started off, there were a few Indian tourists and they were waving out to me and saying words of encouragement. I almost felt like I was a player!


Q. And the first ruling?

A. It didn't take much time coming. It was of the first shot hit. I think it was Bart Bryant, playing with Daniel, who waved out for a referee. There was a hint of trepidation as I went towards him. It was, after all, the first hole at St Andrews in front of a large number of people. The Indians cheered me on as I went towards him. Thankfully it was a simple enough ruling as the ball was resting next to the sprinkler head.


Q. Did the star players throw 'starry tantrums'?

A. It can happen at other events but in a Major, the referees and the players share a very warm relationship. I remember after the tournament, I went up to Tiger and shook his hands and he said, "Thank you for all your help." Even though I had no interaction with him during the course of the tournament, it was just the respect the players had for the referees that prompted him to say that.


Q. Did you always want to make it big as a referee?

A. It was never a question of wanting to make it big but I do remember, in 2001, a year before I became a qualified referee, there was a small incident in my home club which led to a lot of confusion. I guess that was when I decided that I will devote a lot of my time to understanding the rules of the game.


Q. Are you still active as a referee?

A. I don't do many tournaments, which is also a result of having achieved what I wanted to but there are a few that I do regularly, like the Australian Open and some of the other ones. I am now looking at a greater role in golf administration.


Q. And your views on Gaganjeet?

A. I have seen him in his earlier days on the tour and he is a very talented player. I have always maintained that it is a matter of time before an Indian does something big. To put it differently, it is just a matter of time before the Claret Jug comes home.

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We sure do wish that the 42-year-old plays a greater role in Indian golf and may great success bless the Golf Referees Association of India, which we hope, under his stewardship, is able to produce many qualified men who represent the country on the major tours. Wouldn't it be a pretty sight, to see Tiger Woods docked two strokes by one of our own?

1st Asian R&A Referees School

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Raise The Curtains

The 138th Open Championship - Previews

It's a new dawn, you could say. Unfortunately, Gagan has been given a noon tee-off time. Oh well, bad jokes apart, today's the day our 21-year-old, who, till some months back, did not have even a single professional win to his name, will hear the words "Next on tee, Gaganjeet Bhullar" at the 138th British Open championship.

With Jeev having to drop out because of his still unhealed rib injury, Gagan had been left to play Tuesday's practice round by himself. But he's also risen to the challenge of being the only Indian representation at windy Turnberry. "These are big shoes to fill, but I'm mentally ready," he'd said.

Gagan has spent the last 15 days playing around Scotland's drive-testing links courses, including a few rounds at the Royal Troon. But it was the big-name, big-deal buzz at Turnberry that had him all charged up post last Thursday, and the big-hitter insisted he liked the course set-up too. Of course, Jeev's left behind some advice. "We played 18 holes together on Monday and he's basically told me that as long as I hit it flat I'll be alright," Gagan said.

But despite being surrounded by the fancy assembly line of golfing stars, the youngster hasn't quite chatted up anyone yet. "The big players like to keep to themselves at a big tournament," Gagan said. We'd like to hope he's chased for a few playing tips post Sunday!

Well whatever the case, it's going to be an experience to remember for a lifetime for Gagan. He tees off at 4:33 pm IST.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Trial Run At Turnberry

Gaganjeet Bhullar had made sure this April that he wouldn't be counted as just another professional by anyone piecing together Indian golf history. Three months on, he's trying to take all possible steps to ensure he's not consigned to a forgotten bunch at the British Open either.

Gaganjeet, our younger hope at this year's third Major, might have become the sixth Indian in history to make it to the Open, but he's made it clear that he won't be satisfied with just making his appearance a four-round one. And so, Gaganjeet has made the journey to Scotland a little early to try and get used to wind-swept Turnberry before teeing it up on July 16. “It is my first Major and expectations are really high but I am mentally ready. I want to give my best and I will not play for the cut, I am aiming higher than that and would like to finish in the top-10,” he had said just before leaving.

The youngster has played on the tough links courses of the British Isles earlier as an amateur, but making it count on a big stage like this will be a real challenge for the 21-year-old. But we know he has a mature, thinking head on those shoulders, and we can't wait to see one of our brightest hopes at Ailsa.

It might have been the venue for the Duel in the Sun back in 1977, but Gagan knows Turnberry might just as easily become a battle in the rain. “The conditions are going to be tough and it will not be easy. If it's raining on one hole, the wind is howling on the next. These are the things I need to watch out for and prepare myself mentally and physically,” he had said.

In the three months between qualifying and now, Gagan has also tried to work on hitting flatter to minimise the ball getting lost in the wind. With his practice stint now, he'll surely figure out some more key points. We'll have a chat with Gagan in a couple of days for more updates!

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Monday, June 22, 2009

Major Pain

There have been grey skies and colourful umbrellas, scoring records and big-name casualties, and we might even get a new, unexpected winner on Monday. There are many reasons that are likely to make the 109th US Open a memorable one. Unfortunately for Jeev Milkha Singh and his fans, the 37-year-old got a stat at Bethpage Black that he would like to forget in a hurry. This was the first time Jeev has missed a cut at the US Open in four appearances.

Round 1 of the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in New York


Jeev, playing with a rib injury and part of the unlucky half of players who had to splash around on soaked fairways and soggy greens for a pretty large part of both their first two rounds, only managed an 11-over. The cut came at four-over.

Jeev had spoken about how the injury had caused him to chip out every time he got into the rough and he said after the second round that he was also losing a lot of distance on his drives. Jeev said it was very likely that he would have given the tournament a miss had it not been a Major, but he's vowed to play a tournament only if he's 100 per cent from here on.

It might also mean a rethink on the number of tournaments Jeev plays each year. He's famous for playing more number of tournaments than most other players, plus travelling all around the world in doing that. (OWGR tells us he's played 71 over a two-year period. And last year, Jeev's four title wins came in Austria, Singapore, Japan and Japan).

He's definitely not playing either the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship or the European Tour's German Open this week as he tries to get healthy for the Scottish Open and of course, the British Open in mid-July.

"I am taking a week or two off. I am not going to touch the clubs for a few days and give my muscle a full rest. That's the only way it will heal. I have half the season left and there is so much more to come and I want to be ready for it all," Jeev said.

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Towards History, One Step At A Time

With the first tee off just a few hours away, let us quickly give a timeline of Indian golfers at the US Open-:



2002: Jeev became the first Indian to play the US Open

2006: Both Jeev and Jyoti made it to the US Open field


2007: Jeev was a big-game hunter by 2007 and notched up his best finish at the US Open-- tied 36th-- at scary Oakmont.


2009: This year, fingers crossed, Jeev will become the first Indian to win a Major


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We thought long and hard about including Daniel Chopra in the list of Indians who have featured at the US Open. After all, he spent his formative years in India and, Sachin Tendulkar is his favourite sportsman! But, what finally ruled him out was his love for Justin Timberlake...

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Sunday, June 14, 2009

A Sip Of The Best?


The doctor's room is not a place you want to find yourself in the week before a Major. Unfortunately for Jeev Milkha Singh, his first few days on arrival in New York for the US Open had more visits scheduled for the medical lab than for the driving range. Jeev, who hurt himself in the rib area at The European Open last month, had carried the injury through the Celtic Manor Wales Open the following week, and then all the way across the Atlantic.

But now it seems our most successful import might just make it to his second date with Bethpage Black. Jeev had CT scans on Friday and has been given a big boost with the results showing no fracture. A rib fracture would have set him back for weeks, not to mention the disappointment of missing out on a Major. But it's just a muscular stretch, and Jeev is going to hit the range finally, with the plan being to take the final decision on Wednesday evening.

Thursday's scheduled three-some, after all, is too tempting for us Asian watchers. Jeev, with KJ Choi (perfect week for him to find back some lost touch) and Vijay Singh, is something we certainly would want to keep an eye on! A winner out of that pairing wouldn't be such a bad thing either!

There would also be some special Bethpage pages in Jeev's album. The scene of Tiger's three-shot win over Phil is where Jeev played his first-ever Major. The four straight 75s only gave him a tie for 62nd, but as Jeev wrote in his blog last week, it's a course that suits his game. "I love the US Open and one of the main reasons for that is the way they set up the golf course. I always feel that tougher the course, I have an advantage because of my scrambling abilites," Jeev wrote.

As he scrambles to get fit, here's wishing him a week out in the New York sun!

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