Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts
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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Friday, July 31, 2009

Ace That!

We know this is the Buick Open week, but we still can't get over the aces that pelted the course at the Canadian Open and the BMWs in tow. And while Arjun's hole-in-one and the car that came with it had us all excited, you cannot miss this amazing ace by Leif Olson-:



Goliiards, is it? Nope, good ol' golf with a dash of luck!

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Golf And The Gita


When we look back at the history of movies on golf, Legend of Bagger Vance, unfortunately, gets drowned out in the din. To be honest, we must strike off the word unfortunate because with a star cast that boasts of Charlize Theron, Matt Damon and Will Smith, to produce a superficial, cliched take on "golf and life" is a big blunder. The script just seemed to have so much potential but it fell short of expectations on the big screen.

But what draws us to this post is the connection between India and the movie, well, actually, the book, considering that the egg did come before the dud. Whoever said golf in India only goes as far back as the Scots who used to hack their way around the plains of Dum Dum in Kolkata in the early 1800s. The author of the book, Steven Pressfield, was so inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, at a time when he was struggling to pay off his rents, he decided to adapt it to a new novel.

Bhagavan, quite literally, came into his life-:

Bhaga became Bagger and van became Vance so Bhagavan became Bagger Vance. And just like Krishna guided Arjuna through the battle, Bagger Vance took it upon himself to revive Rannulph Junnuh's (name inspired by Arjuna) life, the protagonist, from being a drunken outcast to finding his way back into the people's heart by competing alongside Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen in an "epic" golf match on the Krewe Island(name inspired by, yup, you guessed it right-- Kurukshetra).

When it was announced that the book would be turned into a movie, there was a group that filed a case, saying that the movie "may hurt religious sentiments", and they were very concerned about how "god would be portrayed in the film". The National Council of Hindu Temples put out a statement saying, "Bagger Vance is a distortion of the Hindu word for God. Hindus will find it offensive to see Will Smith on the screen being called what is basically the word for god."

Do people get concerned, worried and offended too easily these days? The case was dismissed and the movie went on to be screened without a problem.

There was another book trying to ascertain the link between the Bhagavad Gita and golf. It was titled Gita on the Green: The Mystical Tradition Behind Bagger Vance.

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Monday, July 27, 2009

Bull Run!


Can we please say we told you so? :D Fine, we won't but before we tell you anything at all, allow us a moment for a short rant.

In the absence of live telecast, it is our belief that one must take to the streets and express dissent in the most civil manner possible for lack of coverage. But over the last two days, we rediscovered the joy of having to log on to the Tour website to get hole-by-hole updates. It is a tedious process to keep staring at the small screen, with hope written all over, as the live scoring console on asiantour.com gears up to refresh itself. The first hint we look for is the last updated time on the top of the page and as soon as we spot a change there, the trial begins. Scrolling up, slowly, from rock-bottom, one ranking place at a time till we spot the name. By the time we reach the top-ten, the first instinct is to redo the whole process, just to ensure our boy didn't suddenly quadruple-bogey to some lousy 56th place on the leaderboard. While it is a nervy exercise, more often than not, there are no words to describe the joy of seeing one of the Indians perched right on top.

Wait, isn't that what Gagnjeet Bhullar said after he won the Indonesia President Invitational? Well, he may have had no words to describe his win but we can assure you that the feeling is just the same after 18 holes and 126 index-finger imprints on the F5 key. Sometimes, just sometimes, we are brave enough to look the page in the eye, in the hope that the name is still right on top but we can assure you those moments of bravado are rare. One day, we will write a book -- Live Scoring lookup for Dummies. It will be an exhaustive read on everything that goes into this arduous task, but for now we must not ignore Gagan, should we?


Back in his hotel room with the big trophy, Gagan, busy taking congratulatory messages, was still basking in the glory when we got in touch with him. "I was slightly worried thinking of 2007,” he said of that unlucky miss two years ago, “but I had a slightly bigger lead this time and I was ready for even a play-off chance, getting to the putting green while Blyth finished his round. It was a relief when it was over.”


The youngster also explained just what the ‘Turnberry experience’ he’d been talking about meant. “It just feels very different when you go to the driving range and you see Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els,” he said. “Coming from that field to this one, I was feeling pretty confident of myself and my game.”



Next up: Brunei. Next wish: Another title, like duhh!


Image courtesy: www.asiantour.com


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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Curious Case Of BGC

How would it feel to hit your drive, smack down the centre of the fairway, 320 yards away? Darned good right? How would it feel to walk all the way up to the spot where the ball has finished just to see a lousy bird flying away with the ball in its beak? If you happen to play at the Bangalore Golf Club, it would be a little more than a rare occurrence as the crows at the course are more of a menace than you would have bargained for! So much so that the club logo depicts a crow with a ball in its beak!!


Established in 1876, the Bangalore Golf Club course is the oldest existing course in India. No No, you can calm the raised eyebrows, we are not misguiding you. While the Royal Calcutta Golf Club might be the oldest club outside the British Isles, the fact is that the Royal has had to change its course three times, with the present one thrown open to the members in 1912. That technicality pushes the Bangalore Golf Club into the pages of history, although, it is seldom recognised for this feat.

With the city boasting of two other quality courses, KGA and Eagleton, it is the unique logo of BGC that brings it to the forefront of our conscience. The menace is at its peak right after mating season, with an average of three-four balls falling prey to the crow's insecurity everyday.

Such instances have been recorded at some of the best courses. Perhaps, none more famous than in '98 at the famed 17th at TPC Sawgrass, when Steve Lowery struck his tee shot towards the island green. A seagull swooped down and tried to fly away with the ball-:




What do you do in such a situation? Fret not because Rule 18.1 will come to your rescue-:

"If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced."

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

A Rare Hole-in-one

As our aircraft fought its way through the monsoon clouds hanging low over the city of Pune, a sense of unease gripped the passengers. Not even Captain Collin James’ calm voice could fight off the mid-air turbulence.

But the rough treatment meted out to the jumbo jet was not close to what Emlyn Aubrey experienced as his flight headed from Pakistan towards Delhi.

20 years back, Emlyn, an American professional golfer embarked on his second trip to India to compete in the Indian Open to be played at the Delhi Golf Club. But no sooner had the flight taken off, he was greeted with a hole in the plane, or so goes the story. Narrating the incident to us, Emlyn says, “It happened on the way to Delhi in ’89. It wasn’t a “hole” but a separation between the wall and the floor. I could stick my whole hand in there. I saw daylight when the landing gear was down but thankfully it went away when the landing gear was raised for cruising.”

And how did he deal with the situation? “I remember covering the gap with my foot in hopes of maintaining cabin pressure. Silly, but true,” he answers.


And you think it’s rocket science?


The story had made its way across the Atlantic, and when he briefly flirted with the lead at the US Open later that year, the Chicago Tribune story read, “Emlyn Aubrey has seen snakes in the rough, wild monkeys in the trees and a hole in the bottom of an airplane at 25,000 feet. But none of his experiences on the Asian Tour could compare with the brief glimpse of his name atop the leader board in the 89th U.S. Open.”



But the dodgy flight is not his only connection to India. In 1994, Emlyn came back to India one last time and walked away with the Indian Open trophy at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Taking us back to his win, he says, “I had played there a few years earlier and I really liked the golf course. I just played well and ended up beating everybody that week. The champion’s party afterward was incredible: music, traditional dance and great food!”


Winning in Calcutta made the victory a little more special for him. “I think Royal Calcutta is the oldest golf course outside Great Britain. It is an honour to have played there,” he says.


His first impressions of India might not have been great but a visit to one special attraction was something that he cannot forget. “I am a bit adventurous, and once golf was done for the day, I was able to get out and sightsee. Of course no trip to India is complete without seeing the Taj Mahal. One of the best experiences I have ever had. If I had to choose one place to take my family, it would be there. To think it was built by hand and the materials they used… just mindblowing.”


Today, a 45-year-old Emlyn teaches golf at the Centernary College in Indiana. And the teacher would be more than happy to impart lessons to pupils from India.


But would he like to entertain thoughts of another flight from Pakistan to India? Well, the jury is still out on that one.

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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Jive With Jeev

As Tiger Woods, the game's greatest gift to mankind, stood on the beautiful, yet dreaded par-3 12th at this year's Masters, an excited member of the Augusta National rushed from behind the gallery, pushed aside Stevie and thrust his cap at a bewildered Tiger. Remember? No? Neither do we.

But if you step out of the state of Georgia, take the first United out of Washington Dulles and come back to India, we will narrate a short story from the Bilt Open that took place late last year.

The tournament held special significance as it marked the return of Jeev Milkha Singh to the domestic circuit. This time, after winning four tournaments across the globe for the second time in three years. The press corp were out in full strength and by the fourth day it was clear that it was going to be a tournament to remember. But it was Jyoti Randhawa who was turning heads in the final round, looking to add his fifth win out of five starts on the PGTI tour.

As he walked towards the 13th tee, a couple of eager, yet-to-be-inducted-into-the-propah-world-of-golf fans ran up to Jyoti and pushed a sheet of paper under his nose to get his autograph. Jyoti dutifully obliged and then went on to complete a remarkable come-from-behind win.

The young men, unaware of golf etiquette, were perhaps just trying to express their enthusiasm for the sport beginning to be discussed more frequently on the sports pages of the leading newspapers. Was it a definite sign that golf in India had arrived? Maybe not, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the sport in the region has a lot more to talk about than just boasting of the oldest course outside of the British Isles.
So, we hope to keep our fingers on the pulse and chronicle the stories from the game as it heads towards actually gaining acceptance with the sport-loving public of India, and not just in the excessively PR-driven literature that keeps hitting us in the face.


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