The Hindu : Digvijay sizzles, Kahlon falters

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 22, 2002

Sport

Sport - Golf

Digvijay sizzles, Kahlon falters

By Our Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR JULY 21. On Sunday morning, few gave Digvijay Singh a chance of collecting the winner's cheque of Rs. 2,43,000 and lift the crystal vase that went with it. After all, the deposed first-round leader was five strokes behind the leader Harmeet Kahlon.

However, in a dramatic turnabout, Digvijay came up with a timely five-under 67 even as Kahlon's game went to pieces. The 29-year-old Digvijay finished three strokes clear at 12-under 276 to win the Rs. 15-lakh Royal Springs Open golf championship.

Harmeet, who needed to gain a stroke over the last four holes to force a play-off with Digvijay, succumbed to the mounting pressure. He double-bogeyed the final hole after sinking his second shot in the pond.

On the final hole of the Hero Honda Masters in March Kahlon was faced with a similar situation. On that Sunday afternoon at Gurgaon's DLF Golf and Country Club course, Kahlon had handled the pressure better and cleared the water hazard to reach the green.

This failed `gamble' left Kahlon with a card of 75 and made him share the second spot with Feroz Ali. They received Rs. 1,31,250 each. In fact, that one extra shot on the final hole cost Kahlon Rs. 36,750!

On the other hand, Feroz had reasons to be pleased with his round of 69 with helped him catch up with the error-prone Kahlon. Two other seasoned campaigners, Jyoti Randhawa and Gaurav Ghei, too, came up with improved performances to finish creditably.

Though the rains on Saturday evening had made things much cooler on the Royal Springs Golf Club course, Digvijay's putter was really hot on Sunday. He took the turn after picking up four strokes. On his way in, Digvijay bogeyed the 10th and then birdied the 11th and 14th to regain the lead for the first time since the second morning. But with Kahlon destined to beat himself, Digvijay's single-stroke lead stood enhanced to three at the end.

Interestingly, even when Digvijay won his maiden title in the BPGC Open in Mumbai in 2000, he began the final day seven strokes behind Vijay Kumar, the leader. There too, after a remarkable last-day charge, Digvijay forced Kahlon to share the second spot. On that occasion, it was Feroz's brother, Yusuf Ali, who kept Kahlon company.

Digvijay, who finished third in the Indian Open in March this year and collected a cheque of Rs. 9 lakh, had been doing well since January but titles had eluded him. "Perhaps, I was trying too hard to make things happen (on the final day) but today, I just let things happen. I just went out and went for every flag. It just worked,'' said Digvijay, who was introduced to the game by his classmate and benchmate in school, Jyoti Randhawa, who is now his brother-in-law as well.

``I owe a lot to Kel Llewellyn (the Australian who has been appointed as the official APGA Tour coach). He has done wonders to my game and with it, my confidence,'' acknowledged the Meerut-based champion.

An example of Digvijay's growing self-belief was evident by the way he went about his task. "I think, there are at least six or seven birdie-holes on the front-nine. Last night, I was thinking if I could get around four to five birdies before the turn, the pressure could get to Kahlon,'' said Digvijay.

Indeed, that was precisely how it happened. Even as Digvijay, playing in the group ahead of Kahlon, was going great guns, the pressure got to the overnight leader.

After missing a short birdie-putt on the ninth, things turned from bad to worse for Kahlon. On the 10th hole, Kahlon chose to reach the green with his second shot but managed only to enter the marshland.

A `drop' resulted in his first bogey of the day. Kahlon went on to hit a hard tee-shot on the 12th, which he bogeyed and then three-putted the 14th. In between, Kahlon had picked up a stroke with a 20-foot birdie on the 13th. What followed was a desperate spell ending with a double-bogey.

``I was playing to a game plan, just as I had done on the previous days. It was not an offday, but it was just that I didn't score,'' said an understandably disappointed Kahlon. After all, it is not often than a man blows up a four-stroke lead to finish three shots behind the eventual champion.

While Kahlon slipped, comeback-man Randhawa and Ghei came up with creditable finishes. Randhawa's 67, his best of the tournament, was studded with a 15-footer `eagle' on the seventh hole, besides four birdies. Randhawa's fifth-place gave him Rs. 61,500.

Ghei, on the other hand, finished with a par round despite reaching on greens on regulations. After needing 37 putts, Ghei shared the sixth spot with Uttam Singh Mundy, who started the day in the second spot.

Mundy promised much but faded away on the back-nine. Putting poorly, he bogeyed thrice over seven holes before coming up with a birdie on the 17th. This was the only hole, which Mundy finished with a single putt. Overall, Mundy had 35 putts in his card of 74 _ his worst in four days.

The prizes were given away by the Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Mr. G. C. Saxena in the presence of Chief Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah.

Final scores: Digvijay Singh (66, 74, 69, 67) 276; Feroz Ali (68, 70, 72, 69) and Harmeet Kahlon (68, 69, 67, 75) 279; Ranjit Singh (70, 72, 67, 71) 280; Jyoti Randhawa (69, 73, 72, 67) Uttam Singh Mundy (72, 68, 68, 74) and Gaurav Ghei (75, 68, 68, 72) 282; Jaiveer Virk (72, 67, 71, 73) 283; Shamim Khan (67, 69, 74, 74) and Rahil Gangjee (68, 72, 71, 73) 284; Vinod Kumar (76, 68, 68, 73) 285; S. S. P. Chaurasia (69, 71, 71, 75), Ali Sher (67, 72, 73, 74), Mukesh Kumar (77, 70, 71, 68) and Rohtas Singh (74, 73, 72, 67) 286; Vijay Kumar (68, 73, 76, 71) and Rahul Ganapathy (73, 74, 74, 67) 288.

Amateurs: Harinder Gupta (73, 75, 70, 75) and Vikrant Gupta (73, 73, 71, 76) 293.

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