Sunday, June 28, 2009

A First For Shiv

He might have a British Open appearance under his belt but till a few hours back, Shiv Kapur had never registered a top-ten finish on European soil. Starting the final round, just two shots off of having his name on the first page of the leaderboard, Shiv strung together a round of seven-under 65, with six birdies, a bogey, and an eagle that came on the final hole to finish eighth at the BMW International Open in Munich. For a brief while, Shiv flirted with a podium finish, tied for third place, allowing our hormones to do a little jig. That, however, was short-lived, as the leaders caught up and moved ahead of him on a birdie-strewn day.

It has allowed Shiv to move back to safe territory on the merit list but if he hopes to land a place at the season-ending event in Dubai, or be in contention in what the European tour prefers to call R2D, he needs to string together a few more good results.

Interestingly, of the three top-tens Shiv has to his name on the European Tour, two have come at the Indonesia Open. The third one was at the Johnnie Walker Classic held last year at the DLF Golf & Country Club.

The other Indian in the field, SSP Chowrasia, also had a good outing as he shot a four-under on the final day to finish tied for 21st place.

The course brought back memories of the SAIL Open sans-Nirat. The final day, which promised to be a battle between Retief Goosen and Bernhard Langer, was following a completely different script. Nick Dougherty seemed to be cruising towards a win, before Rafa Echenique launched a stunning assault on the course, ripping apart the back-nine with a record-equalling nine-under 27, including an albatross on the final hole. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't the shot heard around the world as Dougherty held his nerve to par the final hole and finish one shot ahead of the Argentine, with a four-day total of 22-under. The Englishman needed every bit of his eight-under in the final round to capture the title.

.BMW International Open - Round Three

Our favourite moment from the tournament? Well, should have been the incredible albatross from a player in contention on the final hole but since we didn't get to see it, we will have to go with David Drysdale's shot from the fairway in the third round, with a snake just a few yards away, revelling in the limelight. Surprisingly, Drysdale never saw the snake as it slithered off the fairway after getting a snake's-eye view of Drysdale's second.


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Slice Of '87

It came over a dish of delicious breadsticks -- by far the best thing to order at Papa John's -- the discussion on the connection between the American pizza company and the Indian Open. Oh yes, you read that right! Here's the story:

American Brian Tennyson, a former PGA Tour player, had spent a couple of seasons playing around in Asia. In 1987, Brian came to the Delhi Golf Club, and walked away with the then 24-year-old Indian Open trophy.

Unfortunately for him, an ill-timed neck injury followed soon after, as good as forcing him out of the sport. At Ball State University, Brian had roomed with a John Schnatter, who had now decided to begin a pizza chain. Schnatter asked his old friend to join him in the still-young enterprise. Tennyson began in 1992 with owning stores, and slowly made his way up till he was vice-president for strategic planning, and then head of investor relations. Clearly, the stable head and firm feet had followed him from the golf course to the Papa John's boardroom.

Brian quit entrepreneurship to attempt a golf comeback in 1995, but that didn't quite work out, and so he went back to business. These days Brian helps run a marketing company, a pet magazine, and a vehicle repair business.

Brian takes us back to his last-day runaway win in '87. "I was putting poorly coming into that week, even though I had a win and a couple of other top tens in the previous weeks," Brian tells us. "So I spent a lot of time on it and it paid off. Delhi golf club was very demanding and extremely tight off the tee which played right into my strength, which was ball striking. I loved the course and thought I could win. I was in the next to last group the final day and took the lead somewhere around the 12th or 13th hole. Information was all by word of mouth. A key shot was on, I believe, the 16th, a long par four where I hit a terrific 3-iron to about 15 feet. On the 18th fairway, a good friend at the time, European Tour player Jean Francois Remesy, came and told me I had a three-shot lead, and I relaxed," he says.

The story from the pro-am had us even more excited. Brian says, "In the pro-am, I played with a 14-year-old boy who was a very good young player. It turned out to be Daniel Chopra. In my first event on the 1995 circuit I was paired with him in the third round and he reminded me about it. It made me feel old!"

That was also a time when sports equipment import duty was a huge amount, and so good-quality golf balls and clubs were a scarce commodity. "I was very impressed with the Delhi Golf Club and thought it was one of the best we played on the tour that year. But I believe there was some sort of ban on imports and most of the Indian players were using old or second-hand equipment," says Brian.

Brian also remembers other players he played with on the Asian circuit back then, with the current Asian Tour chairman Kyi Hla Han being one of them. "Han was a good friend back then," Brian says. "We hung out and played a lot of rounds together. Some others on the tour then were Jeff Maggert, Billy Ray Brown, TC Chen and TM Chen. I also played with Isao Aoki and Jumbo Ozaki while on the Asian Tour in 1987 and subsequently on the US PGA Tour as well."

The win was special. "It was my second win in the first five Asian Tour events that year and it was a terrific thrill. The small metal trophy I received, sits on a shelf in my family room," Brian says.
We certainly do hope that our golfer-turned-entrepreneur is in India for the Silver Jubilee celebrations in three years from now.

Image courtesy: www.papajohns.com

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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Buzzing Up


Shiv Kapur, the tourist, has had some inhospitable stops on the road. There have been a few low numbers against the young Delhi player's name -- the first-round 66 at the Irish Open, a 67 at The European Open in London among those recently -- but somehow consistent comfort has eluded Shiv on his European Tour travels.

On Friday, with BMW International Open leader Retief Goosen complaining about flies swamping him on the course, Shiv got into leaderboard buzz again. After having managed a one-under 71 on the first day, which hardly fell into impressive category on an obviously easy-scoring day, Shiv followed up with a pretty cool six-under 66 to zoom up the board.

63rd when he started his second day's round, Shiv started quietly, with two birdies on the front nine and then a dropped shot on the par-four 10th. But in the next eight holes, he came up with five well-crafted birdies -- three back-to-back from the 11th to the 13th -- zooming up to the 11th spot by the end of the day's play. That is a jump of 52 places! Now seven-under 137, he is still five off Goosen's number, but we really hope Shiv is made to feel at home in rainy Munich over the weekend!

SSP Chowrasia, however, who was in 23rd place overnight after a first round three-under 69, shot a 70 to drop four rungs down. His total is a five-under 139.

Sadly, Jyoti Randhawa is going to miss another cut. Jyoti shot a three-under 69 on the second day, but still stayed below the cut mark after a first-round 73. Unfortunately, he missed making it by just one shot.

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Friday, June 26, 2009

Win Over Wind

At 22, it would be unfair to call him a veteran. But after having spent his last few years on the amateur circuit, a touch more than what a stepping-stone-to-greater-deeds tour deserves, Bangalore boy Abhishek Jha has firmly established himself as a successful regular on tour.

And in keeping with the tag, he added his fourth title in a little over a year at the windy Coimbatore Golf Club. A six-shot win over a chasing pack led by Rashid Khan, just adds credence to his effort. With a 69 in the final round, the best round of the tournament, Jha had a four-day total of three-over 291. An average score, but one that seems to be par for a course situated in the Palghat gap of the Western Ghats, making the wind a serious factor.

It was a return to form for Jha, who had a rough time since he last won at the Noida Open Amateur in February, finding himself on the wrong end of the leaderboard, bar the All-India, where, well, it would be fair to say he was felled by wobbly nerves. While he has always showed the potential to climb to the higher level, the only thing stopping him-- the irritatingly regular high scores that he cards.


Can he iron out that flaw? Plausible, possible and we remain ever so hopeful.

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

2007- Zach Johnson, 2017- Pranav Kaul?

Oh Yes, we love to dream big for our kids!

A one-under 71 might not be a card worth a toast but we always get excited when someone shows promise. Nearing the end of his year-long sabbatical from formal education, one would have expected 19-year-old Pranav Kaul to be carefully weighing his options. But if he is worried, the Delhi lad doesn't show it. Returning after another one of his long training sessions with Mike Bender (coach of Zach Johnson, winner of the Masters in '07), Pranav is more than happy with how his game has shaped up over the last year. And now he is desperately hoping to convert his first round lead at the Tamil Nadu Open Amateur to a meaningful finish.


But how does he plan to tackle college with golf? "I have applied to a few colleges in America but I am targetting the collegiate circuit there and not regular education," says Pranav. It is something that Coach Bender is keen on him doing and has offered to talk to the sports coaches of the various college that he has applied to in America.

Pranav with Zach Johnson at Bender's Academy

For now, it is the blustery Coimbatore Golf Club course that Pranav has set his mind on and a good finish here would give his game and his belief a great fillip. Unless he cuts his teeth in the amateur circuit, success on foreign shores will only remain a distant hope.



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Monday, June 22, 2009

Back On The Road, Almost


As it turns out, Arjun Atwal won't be making a return to tournament golf this week. We had reported that Arjun had planned to begin retracing his season through the Nationwide Players Cup this week, but he has now been told that the PGA Tour players who qualify for the week's tournament on the higher tour can't play the Nationwide tournament. Arjun had an entry for the Travelers Championship, but he has chosen not to take that.

The 13th point in the Nationwide Tour Eligibility Requirements clearly mentions, "If needed to fill the field, PGA TOUR members who are not eligible for the PGA TOUR event occurring simultaneously with the Nationwide Tour event," are eligible.

So he will now be back at the John Deere Classic that starts in Illinois from July 9, Arjun told us today, the new plan giving him another two weeks' rest.

image courtesy: Dano

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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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Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Breakthrough Win Comes At Last

Grin and bear it, they probably told him. There is very little else one can do when at the end of an exhausting, near-eight hour final you are left in the lurch because of a freakish chip-in that snatched away your shot at a maiden title. A little less than six months after that, Arshdeep Tiwana finally cracked the code and won his first title on the amateur circuit at the Southern India Amateur in Bangalore. And to do it from five shots back just made it a little more memorable.

Angad Cheema and Karan Vasudeva, one would have thought, were likely to engage each other in a battle to emerge as the victor but both the players fell away on the final day. Tough reads on the greens and tricky pin positions weren't really going to come to their help either. The winning score coming at seven-over isn't something to gloat about but everyone's misery is the only thing that players could draw solace from. The seven-over mirrored Abhishek Jha's efforts at the Western India Amateur, on slick, glass-like greens. For Tiwana though, it was the win that was important, not the winning total.

The Eastern India would have been a better first-win to cherish, right? Tiwana says Au contraire. "In matchplay you are only competing aginst one player and your performance is relative. But playing on a strokeplay format, you are competing against the entire field over four days which makes the win special," he tells us.

It was at the Noida Open Amateur, where he had charged ahead with a low first-round card but returned high numbers through the remaining rounds. When congratulated over a top-ten finish, he was visibly peeved. The goals had been set and it was only a win which mattered and nothing else. He blames it on that final in Royal. "All I knew after that day was that only a first-place finish would be of consequence and I don't want to look at a position finish."

Ironically, it is his position, on the Order of Merit list after the Southern India, that is of great importance to him right now. "I have set targets for myself and I know I will be playing the q-school, whenever it takes place next. But before that I want to qualify to play for India. Everyone wants that," he insists, laying out his goals for the remaining season.

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Friday, June 19, 2009

Stumbling To A Win

While the result in Panchkula, at the Northern India juniors was along expected lines, the way the kids went about it was a little worrying. Ashbeer Singh Saini (in picture) came through to win by a handsome margin of six shots, with Chikka playing catch-up all through the week. But how exactly did he register the win? With an 80 in the final round. And how far back was Chikka after the third round? Well, five shots but when someone shoots an 80, surely you have got a chance. Chikka, unfortunately, fared just as poorly with an 81.

Both kids took pains to explain that besides the wind there were no demons on the golf course and the high scoring was just a result of their poor play. Ashbeer had a quadruple bogey-double bogey through two holes on the back-nine. He started his final round with a double bogey and on the last hole of his previous round, he had dropped three shots on the final hole. Chikka didn't do himself many favours either and had left his A-game back in Eagleton, or so it seemed.

It is just this kind of play that the two talented kids will have to eliminate from their game when they graduate to the next level. And to do that, they have to avoid them at tournaments where they might not find great competition but need to find enough resolve to card low scores regularly. As of now, they are 15, so we will spare the rod. But considering that the spotlight is trained on them, they will have to bring consistency to their game.

--

Going a few years down the line, and by that we mean, to the U-12 section where Piyush Sangwan registered his first win in his new category. The Delhi kid has been winning accolades for a while and used to be a regular winner in the U-10s. His first tournament in Category C at the Southern India juniors in Coimbatore didn't see him perform that well but he played a good final round to win comfortably in Panchkula. We have heard enough about him to bring him under the radar. During the Eastern India juniors late last year, he carded a round of six-under 64 at Tolly. Although, the U-10 players teed off from the forward tees, it was still quite an achievement. Let us see how this young kid progresses over the next few years.

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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


--

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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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Good Guys Don't Always Finish Last

Moin Malak is probably one of the most respected players on the amateur circuit. Reserved and soft-spoken, he is also, perhaps, the most liked guy too. Originally from Nagpur, Moin has now settled down in Pune with his lovely wife Farzeen.

A first round 71 put him in front at the ongoing Southern India Amateur but an 82 today has put a spanner in the works. His life so far has been an interesting story in itself.



The affable lad from Pune/Nagpur (whichever school of thought you believe in) was struck down by a rare illness when he was a four-year-old. Such was the severity that at one point his parents were told that leg amputation was the only way forward. But as fate would have it, they didn't have to resort to such a drastic measure and Moin was on the path to recovery within a year.

It was tennis, more than the ailment, that threatened to keep him away from golf as he had developed a keen interest in the sport. But when it came to making a choice, Moin veered towards golf and there was no looking back after that. He attended the Professional Golfers Career College in California where some of his more interesting experiences included volunteer work for tournaments on the Nationwide Tour.

A regular on the amateur circuit for the last few years, 2008 was a special year for him. He won the title of the best amateur at the Indian Open in October and then capped off the year with his maiden win on tour.

Locking horns with Arshdeep Tiwana in a 36-hole playoff for the Eastern India title at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Moin had to draw on all his experience to come through. Going into the final hole, the par-4 18th, all-square, Moin found his second shot plugged in the wall of the greenside bunker on the left. With Tiwana sitting pretty for par, it was imperative for Moin to get his ball to rest near the hole. One could say he did a decent job with his chip, after all, you can't get closer to the pin than the bottom of the hole now, can you?

As has been the tradition at the club, RCGC added its special touch by getting the winner to cut a cake in front of the media. It was a wonderful sight and we hope he gets the chance to share a bit of cake with everyone many more times.

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Back On The Road

Arjun Atwal is going to be back!

Pardon us the exuberance, but with Arjun having finally made it back to the PGA Tour up from the Nationwide last season, his shoulder injury came at the worst possible time. But the 36-year-old, who had spent time in India for treatment and then about a month in America as part of rehabilitation, has now said he's ready to put the derailed campaign back on track.

Arjun will be back in tournament action at the Nationwide Tour Players Cup in the week after the US Open. That, he says, is part of his attempt at getting back into tournament sharpness, having been out of action since missing the cut at the Mayokoba Classic in late February.

Right after, he gets back to the PGA Tour, where he is placed 202nd in the money rankings at the moment with the four tournaments he's been able to play.

He'll need some good finishes quick to get back into the top 125. But he got himself the push he needed last season, and let's cross our fingers for him to do that this time again.

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Lahiri: Mystery Fevers And Special Days

(From top) Anirban, Rahul and Chikka


The young trio of Rashid, Rahul and Chikka had a very special spectator walking the final round at the Karnataka Open Amateur in Bangalore last week. Anirban Lahiri, the boy who left the same tour a little more than two years ago when on its peak, has now grown up into a handy professional.

Anirban had shot a round of ten-under 62 for a joint course record at the Classic Golf Resort at the Asian Tour's SAIL Open less than three months ago, but has since had a rough ride with health.

It started with dehydration in sizzling hot Jaipur during the Players Championship in April. He stumbled through the final round, shooting a four-over to finish tied 10th, having been second on the leaderboard after the third day. He then recovered in a day and flew down to Aamby Valley for the tournament the next week, and got another top-ten finish.

Decent form, going into an Asian Tour event in Seoul. But then a mystery fever struck, and Anirban had to withdraw from the GS Caltex Maekyung Open and fly back home without hitting a ball. And just when he had almost recuperated at home, he pulled a muscle in the gym. Unbelievable bad luck!

So with the amateur tour stopping by his home city, there was time to follow the three young guns. And it turned out to be good decision, with club-mate Chikka coming out on top with his first tour win. "I have seen Chikka right from the time he first began learning golf. It was special to see him get this win under his belt. We're great friends, in fact, he's almost like a younger brother," Anirban told us.

As far as he is concerned, Anirban says he's feeling healthy now, and will be back practising very soon. The luck, hopefully, will even out for him.

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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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Friday, June 12, 2009

The First Title In The Bag


It was about a four-footer that never found its line; a lob-wedge that found its sweet spot.
It was about a fight one never fought; a fight the other never desired.
In the end, it was about a title one wanted to add; a title the other desperately needed.


Deftly side-stepping the amateur circuit so far, Chikka came out this week for one of his rare appearances on the senior tour, and immediately injected life into a tour running the risk of being sabotaged by one talented 18-year-old from Delhi.

After 54 holes, only one shot separated the local favourite from Rashid Khan. Overnight rain contrived to delay the start of the much-anticipated battle. But when play did start, Chikka rolled in five birdies on the front-nine, two bogeys aside, to move into the driver's seat. Two bogeys in three holes quickly nullified the advantage and one feared the brave run might have come to an end. Rashid, meanwhile, made his way around with pars at hand, poised to take over, waiting for the right moment to jump ahead.

And the chance came his way. On the par-3 17th, Rashid found the right club, and on the soft greens, the ball landed right next to the pin to leave him with a short putt for birdie. The leader found his ball resting on the fringe, and left with a 25-foot downhill putt, a two-putt seemed a difficult proposition.

Chikka first to go, made "a near-perfect putt" and the ball, after negotiating the curling path to the hole, dipped in just to lip out in the end. Rashid was set to draw level. A gentle four-footer would see him go into the last hole on the back of five wins on tour with Chikka in search of his maiden title. But the putt was not to be. He never found the right line, and a grimace quickly transformed itself into a confident smile for the local lad. He explained, "On all three days I had made birdie on the final hole."

A good drive left him with 72 yards to the pin. With a recently gifted lob-wedge from his club mate Anirban Lahiri in hand, Chikka hit his approach shot to just beyond the pin, allowing the ball to grip the surface, spin, and it politely sidled up right next to the hole.

Not one to be left wondering, Rashid tried to go one better, almost did, but had to be content with a seven-footer for birdie, which he converted. Chikka stepped up to the plate and was not going to repeat his playing partner's mistake. Tapped-in and clinched the first of what promises to be many titles on the national amateur tour.


Rashid was left ruing his missed putt but nothing could take away the sheen from Chikka's game as he completed a dominant wire-to-wire win.

The most heartening aspect of the tournament -- the top four. Chikkarangappa, Rashid Khan, Rahul Bakshi and Abhijit Singh Chadha. All youngsters who hold great promise. Rahul Bakshi finished just three behind Rashid with a 68- the best round of the day.

The disappointing bit -- Chikka heads to Panchkula next week for the Northern India Junior Championship, with only one player to compete with. A touch harsh, but Ashbeer Saini and Chikka are just too talented to expect serious competition on the junior tour.

--

A wonderful picture of Chikka and Rashid from last year-:



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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Chikka: A Story In The Making


We just needed a reason and we found it. After two rounds of the Karnataka Open Amateur, Chikka has established a six-shot lead with a two-day total of seven-under 137. It is impressive because our amateur circuit usually doesn't see the score go so low but we must take into account that the tournament is being played at Eagleton, his home club. It would have been real fun to follow the leadergroup today, Chikka-Rashid-Rahul Bakshi, but since we couldn't do that we will just keep a keen eye on the reports coming in. In the meanwhile, here are a few excerpts from a nice story on Chikka written by Tiki Rajwi-:

"Thirty kilometres from Bangalore, there is a village with a tongue-twister of a name - Rangagoadanaddi. Four years ago, an eager 11-year-old, the son of Seenappa, a mason, and Revamma, would be seen running from this village to the nearby Eagleton Golf Resort to pick golf balls on weekends, and to watch the ‘others’ play their rounds. That was then. Now 15, the little ball-boy has grown into a lean youngster, with a suggestion of a moustache, and a searching smile. The Chikka of today is national junior golf champion, who has impressed spectators at international golfing events."

A little bit about his introduction to the game-:

"Chikkarangappa was the discovery of Vijay Divecha, director of the South Zone Junior Coaching Programme of the Indian Golf Union (IGU), who caught him swinging a golf club four years ago. 'He asked me whether I would like to play. I did not understand, because he’d asked me in English. I knew only Kannada. So a friend had to translate,' Chikka says in flawless English which he rigorously developed alongside his golf. His new life began as caddy to a Japanese. 'I would get up at 4.30 a.m. and race to the course. I would caddy till 7.30 a.m., go home for breakfast and come back to train throughout the day.' When the Japanese left, he presented his eager young caddy with a set of women’s clubs; short, light ones."

And our favourite bit from the story-:

"Chikka likes watching WWE Wrestling on TV and uses the same set of clubs he was presented by the Golf Foundation and HSBC four years ago.'Today my mother is thrilled to see all the trophies that I’ve won.' From someone who pasted questions that he would be asked in interviews on the wall to improve his English, Chikkarangappa has come a long way."

Many feel Chikka is wasting his time playing on the junior circuit and he should graduate to playing full-time on the amateur circuit where the competition promises to be tougher. A few months back, he was feted by the Indian Golf Union as the top junior golfer and in an interaction we had with him then, he said, "I'd like to play as a junior till I secure a win outside the country."

Interesting, considering that with the backing of the R&A, the IGU sends the juniors to many international tournaments to places like the UK, Australia, Japan and many others. The opportunities narrow down for amateurs who have to be content with tournaments in the near vicinity, or at best with Malaysia or Singapore.

And now that we have devoted our longest post to Chikka, we sure hope that he justifies this with a win!

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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Stuff Of Dreams

Fortunately, snuggling into my favourite chair, the Memorial Sunday had seemed to be warming up for a nice multiple-player battle, a perfect midnight watch. Unfortunately, the television had been reached to only midway through the round. Obviously, I hadn't seen the 11th-hole eagle, the inch-exact hitting all through that walk through Muirfield Village, the fact that all signs looked ominous for another episode of Tiger's One-Man Show.

The Masters Par-Three event quirkily makes me look at golfers slightly differently, and it was one image of Luke high-fiving Junior Donald last year that found a tiny soft spot in my heart for the Englishman. So, it was quite a delight to have seen him leading on Day 1 but Thursday was history. Sunday had begun with Tiger way back from the co-leaders and ended with two back-to-back jaw-droppingly magic approach shots and a super-quick judgement on exactly what he feels about doubts on his fitness, form, finesse ahead of the US Open.

It was all going through calmly before the feel of a Sunday afternoon marathon was wiped out by the quick sprint on the finishing leg by Woods, the pace too much for the potential challengers following him in the two groups behind. I rubbed the last remnants of sleep from my eyes, sitting 9 and a half hours ahead of Ohio time, as the ball landed for what looked a very makeable birdie on the 17th hole. Tiger broke out of the four-way tie with that birdie. And it was astonishment that had me rubbing eyes a few minutes later, with that inches-away second shot making sure that anyone hoping for a man-to-man play-off would have to get there with something very very special.

PGA Tour-watching in India takes a big toll on sane sleeping hours, but life finds new meaning with having watched a finish like this to brag about!

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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Asian Numero Uno

'hopper1: I've got news that will have you hopping on the grass.

'hopper2: The last time I did that, I got ticked off by a player.

'hopper1: But this is big news. An Indian has become the highest-ranked Asian player in the official rankings list.

'hopper2: Isn't that breaking news?

'hopper1: The news is more than a week old but in our defence, one week back this blog wasn't even up and running. Last week, when Jeev moved up to 34th spot, he created a teeny bit of history as he moved one ahead of Shingo Katayama.

'hopper2: The Japanese cowboy?

'hopper1: Now now, mind your language.

'hopper2: Ok Ok but what about the Asian Tour which always claimed Jeev was Asia number one?

'hopper1: Except for a slight technicality... Their media bombardments (very welcome ones at that) only took into account Tour members.

'hopper2: So what you mean to say is Jeev, the best Asian Tour player for a while now, is also the best Asian when we take into account passports and not just geographical performance ?

'hopper1: Umm, No.

'hopper2: Why?

'hopper1: Don't you remember you nitwit that Vijay Singh is an honorary Tour member?

'hopper2: So?

'hopper1: So, he is obviously the best product of the Tour according to Mr Han.

'hopper2: Isn't that a little strange?

'hopper1: Nope, that's Scott Strange, another true-bred Asian Tour member.

'hopper2: Dude, that was realllly LaMe!

'hopper1: ...

'hopper2: Hello?

'hopper1: ... (hop hop hop)

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Monday, June 8, 2009

The Ghosts Of The Manor: Wales Open Round-up

Another week, another finish worth a toast and a title that slipped away in the end. Jeev started off in fine fashion, with a hole-in-one in the first round (one of three on day one), but could never kick on despite threatening to take home his fourth title on tour after a narrow miss in London. It was the delightfully named Dane, Jeppe Huldahl, who captured his maiden title, his first top-ten finish on tour.

At one point during the second round, Jeev had moved up to seven-under and had the outright lead but a bogey--par--double-bogey run towards the end of his round cost him dear. The rain delay on the third day didn't make it any better and after that it was all about a position-finish

But on the bright side, you don't want him to peak too early and we would do just fine with a win in a couple of weeks from now at Bethpage Black.

--

Shiv Kapur has been threatening to come good with mid-round spurts of brilliance in the last few tournaments and we wouldn't be surprised if the big finish, after a really long time, is around the corner. As for Jyoti, well, we've missed his characteristic low rounds that he used to card on a regular basis and we hope he gets back to his old ways soon enough.

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Oh, and of course, the little matter of one Mr Woods scripting a win from five shots back at the Memorial. We bet he's hit the crest a bit too soon! We wouldn't want to say anything to hurt the Tiger so we will just wait to hear the roar at the US Open from June18-21.

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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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Saturday, June 6, 2009

Coming Soon!

Coming soon to this space!

Posted by: sceptic
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