Bhullar lifts fifth Asian Tour title with win in Indonesia
2 Dec 2013 6:35 AM IST
It was his first title of 2013 and the second in Indonesia.
Bhullar, who held at least a share of the lead from the first day, opened with 10 straight pars and then sank three birdies to grab the USD 750,000 Asian Tour event.
It was a fine day for the Indians, as Jyoti Randhawa (69) finished fifth at 11-under 273 and Anirban Lahiri (68) was tied sixth at 10-under 274.
Three Indians, Shiv Kapur (68), Chiragh Kumar (68) and SSP Chowrasia (69) were tied 23rd at five-under 279, while Sujjan Singh (69) was tied 29th at four-under 280.
Himmat Rai (71) was tied 35th at three-under 281 and Abhinav Lohan (71) was 51st at one-over 285. Rahil Gangjee (72) finished 64th at four-over 288. The lone Indian missing the cut was Ajeetesh Sandhu.
It was Bhullar’s first win since his triumph in Macau 13 months ago and it was his first top-10 finish since his second place at the Avantha Masters in India in March.
‘I gave myself a lot of opportunities in the first nine holes but I misjudged my yardages on a few holes. Apart from that, there was no difference in my strategy. Winning takes a lot of patience. I’m glad I stayed patient and showed a lot of confidence,’ said Bhullar. ‘It was kind of difficult for me when play was suspended.
I find it hard to go back to my momentum. I haven’t had much success this season but I know my game was up there and winning is just a matter of time. I waited so long for my fifth win and this is my 10th consecutive event. Mentally, I was exhausted but Indonesia is one of my favourite cities as I won my first title on the Asian Tour here,’ added Bhullar, who took home the winner’s prize purse of US $135,000.
It was also welcome return to form for Randhawa, who had finished tied second at CJ Invitational a few weeks ago. He was also 26th at Manila and tied 13th at Hero Indian Open.
Malaysian rising star Nicholas Fung contended for the title before finishing tied second on 66 with Chapchai Nirat of Thailand, who shot two eagles on Sunday, at the Pantai Indah Kapuk Course at Damai Indah Golf.
Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh ended his campaign with a 67 in solo fourth on 272 while Randhawa was a further shot back. Young Thai Jazz Janewattananond, the co-leader at the start of the day, returned with a disappointing 74 to finish tied sixth, but the 18-year-old earned plaudits by the Asian Tour stars for his battling performance.
Bhullar got off to a slow start but picked up pace when the field, which included a fast charging Siddikur, Jazz and Fung, edged closer and threatened to overtake him.
Starting the day at 13-under, he was still there after 10 holes. At that point, Siddikur with birdies on first four holes had moved to 12-under and Jazz was at 13-under after seven holes, but a bogey on seventh and double on ninth pushed him back. Fung had moved to 12-under after 11 holes.
Just then Bhullar shifted gears with a birdie on 11th.
That was the turning point and he added two more birdies on holes 13 and 14. The momentum came to halt when inclement weather suspended play for over an hour but he returned with four pars to clinch the title.
The victory was also a welcome return to form for the Indian who struggled in the last six months and finished last at the World Cup of Golf in Australia last week.
The bespectacled Fung turned in 32 to raise his hopes of winning his first Asian Tour title before running out of holes. Despite his defeat, Fung held his head high after a worthy performance that was highlighted by a superb 30-yard bunker shot from the edge of the 17th green which resulted in a two feet birdie.
Arjun lifts Tata Steel Eastern India golf title
Kolkata: Delhi-lad Arjun Sharma reserved the best for the last as he stunned an in-form BR Raja to grab the title in the Tata Steel Eastern India Amateur golf tournament that concluded here on Sunday. In the 36-hole final, the DLF Golf & Country Club amateur beat the Bangalorean 4&3 to wrest the crown. Arjun, after a creditable run up to the final where he had felled higher ranked players such as Syed Saqib Ahmed in the pre-quarters and Gagan Verma in the quarterfinals, was lucky to get a bye in the semifinal after Simarjeet Singh withdrew. But he proved a worthy winner as he kept his cool and increased the tempo when it was required to seal his victory.
Bhullar, who held at least a share of the lead from the first day, opened with 10 straight pars and then sank three birdies to grab the USD 750,000 Asian Tour event.
It was a fine day for the Indians, as Jyoti Randhawa (69) finished fifth at 11-under 273 and Anirban Lahiri (68) was tied sixth at 10-under 274.
Three Indians, Shiv Kapur (68), Chiragh Kumar (68) and SSP Chowrasia (69) were tied 23rd at five-under 279, while Sujjan Singh (69) was tied 29th at four-under 280.
Himmat Rai (71) was tied 35th at three-under 281 and Abhinav Lohan (71) was 51st at one-over 285. Rahil Gangjee (72) finished 64th at four-over 288. The lone Indian missing the cut was Ajeetesh Sandhu.
It was Bhullar’s first win since his triumph in Macau 13 months ago and it was his first top-10 finish since his second place at the Avantha Masters in India in March.
‘I gave myself a lot of opportunities in the first nine holes but I misjudged my yardages on a few holes. Apart from that, there was no difference in my strategy. Winning takes a lot of patience. I’m glad I stayed patient and showed a lot of confidence,’ said Bhullar. ‘It was kind of difficult for me when play was suspended.
I find it hard to go back to my momentum. I haven’t had much success this season but I know my game was up there and winning is just a matter of time. I waited so long for my fifth win and this is my 10th consecutive event. Mentally, I was exhausted but Indonesia is one of my favourite cities as I won my first title on the Asian Tour here,’ added Bhullar, who took home the winner’s prize purse of US $135,000.
It was also welcome return to form for Randhawa, who had finished tied second at CJ Invitational a few weeks ago. He was also 26th at Manila and tied 13th at Hero Indian Open.
Malaysian rising star Nicholas Fung contended for the title before finishing tied second on 66 with Chapchai Nirat of Thailand, who shot two eagles on Sunday, at the Pantai Indah Kapuk Course at Damai Indah Golf.
Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh ended his campaign with a 67 in solo fourth on 272 while Randhawa was a further shot back. Young Thai Jazz Janewattananond, the co-leader at the start of the day, returned with a disappointing 74 to finish tied sixth, but the 18-year-old earned plaudits by the Asian Tour stars for his battling performance.
Bhullar got off to a slow start but picked up pace when the field, which included a fast charging Siddikur, Jazz and Fung, edged closer and threatened to overtake him.
Starting the day at 13-under, he was still there after 10 holes. At that point, Siddikur with birdies on first four holes had moved to 12-under and Jazz was at 13-under after seven holes, but a bogey on seventh and double on ninth pushed him back. Fung had moved to 12-under after 11 holes.
Just then Bhullar shifted gears with a birdie on 11th.
That was the turning point and he added two more birdies on holes 13 and 14. The momentum came to halt when inclement weather suspended play for over an hour but he returned with four pars to clinch the title.
The victory was also a welcome return to form for the Indian who struggled in the last six months and finished last at the World Cup of Golf in Australia last week.
The bespectacled Fung turned in 32 to raise his hopes of winning his first Asian Tour title before running out of holes. Despite his defeat, Fung held his head high after a worthy performance that was highlighted by a superb 30-yard bunker shot from the edge of the 17th green which resulted in a two feet birdie.
Arjun lifts Tata Steel Eastern India golf title
Kolkata: Delhi-lad Arjun Sharma reserved the best for the last as he stunned an in-form BR Raja to grab the title in the Tata Steel Eastern India Amateur golf tournament that concluded here on Sunday. In the 36-hole final, the DLF Golf & Country Club amateur beat the Bangalorean 4&3 to wrest the crown. Arjun, after a creditable run up to the final where he had felled higher ranked players such as Syed Saqib Ahmed in the pre-quarters and Gagan Verma in the quarterfinals, was lucky to get a bye in the semifinal after Simarjeet Singh withdrew. But he proved a worthy winner as he kept his cool and increased the tempo when it was required to seal his victory.
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