Sport

Jyoti Randhawa triumphs

— Photo: Sandeep Saxena

MOMENT TO REMEMBER: BILT Open winner Jyoti Randhawa shares his moment of triumph with his son.

GREATER NOIDA: Jyoti Randhawa notched up a sensational eight-under 64 in the last round to pocket the title in the Rs.80 lakh BILT Open at the Jaypee Greens Golf Resorts on Sunday and maintained his all-win record on the Professional Golf Tour of India circuit.

After an exciting neck-and-neck fight between two seasoned pros in the tournament, Randhawa amassed a total of 19-under 269 to emerge the winner, while Jeev Milkha Singh, after giving a tough fight, narrowly missed the opportunity to force a play-off.

Jeev finished tied-second after collecting a total 18-under 270, including his last round score of five-under 67. The leader of the previous three rounds, Anirban Lahiri, after going through a topsy-turvy fourth round of one-under, shared the second spot with Jeev.

After the third round was completed following a three-hour delayed start, the final round had a lot of drama in store as the three were engaged in a top-class contest to grab the winner’s purse of Rs. 12,93,200.

Lahiri, who led after the penultimate round with a comfortable four-under margin from his closest rival Jeev, had a bogey on the third hole and a double bogey on the eighth against a birdie on the fifth and an eagle on the ninth.

That allowed Randhawa, known for his fight-backs in the last round, to overtake Lahiri by gaining a shot on the 12th hole. Till that point, the experienced campaigner had a flawless round with six birdies — on the second, third, fourth, seventh, eighth and 10th. He dropped a shot on the 13th but the spectacular eagle, boosted by a 20-foot putt, on the 15th turned the tide in his favour.

Lahiri, who gained a shot on the 15th and dropped one on the next, lost the race even as he fought back to birdie the 18th hole to settle for the second spot.

The 18th hole was the decider for the title race between Jeev and Randhawa. The latter’s tee-shot landed close to the hedge but he held his nerve to bail himself out of the situation, with an excellent 12-footer par putt, and thus maintain his one-shot lead.

“I chipped out well and then it was a great putt. But the eagle on the 15th was crucial,” Randhawa said.

Jeev — with birdies on the third, fourth, fifth, 10th, 15th and 16th against a lone bogey on the sixth — needed a birdie on the last hole in order to enforce a play-off. But a little lapse in concentration spoilt his seven-foot birdie putt.

“Somebody took a snap and I went back. But that did not affect me,” he said.

But the 37-year-old was happy with his overall performance in the season-ending event. “I played rock solid. I had a number in mind but I fell short of it,” Jeev said, adding he was impressed by the showing of the youngsters.

Wearing an ear-to-ear smile, Randhawa was thrilled to win his second BILT Open title after 2006. “In the last two days everything fell into place. I putted like a demon and the hole was like a bucket. I have not yet registered it, I will think about it later,” said the 36-year-old.

On beating Jeev for the title, Randhawa said, “It gives a lot of confidence. I thank him for being a great adversary.” The champion hoped that this win would lay the platform for him to do well in the next season.

Mukesh Kumar, who finished tied 18th, maintained his lead to win the PGTI Order of Merit with a total earning of Rs. 34,31,992.

The scores: 269 — Jyoti Randhawa (68, 69, 68, 64); 270 — Anirban Lahiri (65, 66, 68, 71), Jeev Milkha Singh (67, 66, 70, 67); 275 — Shiv Kapur (68, 69, 70, 68), Rahil Gangjee (66, 69, 70, 70); 277 — Amandeep Johl (72, 70, 67, 68), Shamim Khan (67, 73, 70, 67); 278 — Gaganjeet Bhullar (68, 68, 68, 74); 279 — Gurbazz P.S. Mann (70, 72, 67, 70), Mandeo Singh Pathania (71, 69, 70, 69).

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