Odds favour Randhawa and Atwal

By Our Sports Reporter

GURGAON, MARCH 14. Is the Wills Indian Open once again destined to provide a momentous occasion for the home golfers or will a foreign professional finally spoil the unprecedented success rate of the host on the Asian PGA Tour?

Going by the track record of six wins out of as many Asian PGA events at home since March 1998, the improvement in the standard of play in the country and a comparatively weaker field, it may not come as a surprise if the coveted title is once again claimed by an Indian at the Classic Golf Resort next Sunday.

As the Jack Nicklaus-designed course gets set to conduct the $ 3,00,000 event from Thursday, defending champion Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal will have the odds in their favour for the $ 50,010 top prize.

Even in the absence of Chiranjeev Milkha Singh and an injured Gaurav Ghei, Randhawa and Atwal will form a formidable pair for the likes of Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng and Thongchai Jaidee, South Africans Craig Kamps, Nico Van Rensburg and last year's runner-up Sammy Daniels.

Randhawa, a focussed pro who had such an amazing run with his three APGA titles at home and an improving Atwal, who marked his emergence with back to back titles last season, have gained in stature on the Davidoff Tour, especially after their second and fifth-place standings in last year's Order of Merit.

On the eve of the mega event, the duo inspired a lot more confidence with their changed outlook, which of course, has been instilled by the recent victories.

``Even if there are 10 pros of the calibre of Marksaeng, Nico, Jaidee and others, it is not going be that easy, but I am looking forward to the championship,'' said Randhawa, who uncharacteristically missed the `cut' in three events this season.

About his game, Randhawa said, ``I am still working on my approach shots, though they have definitely improved. But I am prepared better mentally and physically. With added pressure of the expectations, I try much harder.''

If a decent score has eluded Randhawa of late, Atwal has no such worries. ``A score of 63 during my triumph in the Wills Eastern Open has enabled me to get into good shape. There is no added pressure since I have already won this event. But the difference is when I am keyed up, I know I would do it'', said Atwal, who has recently been working on his iron shots with coach Sam Frost.

Apart from Randhawa and Atwal, the others among the 10 top-ranked players as per the last year's Order of Merit are Marksaeng, Kamps, James Kingston and the two-time Order of Merit winner, Korean Kang Wook Soon. Though, the current leader Charlie Wi of Korea was also slated to come, he has dropped out owing to the loss of his passport in Kuala Lumpur.

If one had to choose a dark horse among the foreigners, Sammy Daniels would surely fit the bill. The Capetown-based Daniels, who has a peculiar appearance due to his skin pigmentation disorder, has been closest to upsetting the Indian charge.

Among those who are regular on the Indian Tour, the 1998 winner Firoz Ali hoped for a `turnaround', while Vijay Kumar, Mukesh Kumar and Shiv Prakash will have to overcome a mental block more than anything else. The venue drew lavish praise from all the quarters for its huge fairways and bunkers.

In the pro-am event on Wednesday, American Greg Hanrahan guided his team to a win with an aggregate of 22-under. The other members of the team were Arvinder Singh, Arjun Singh and Sudhir Aggarwal. The best card of the day was fired by Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee (seven-under 65) and his team finished runner- up.

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