New Delhi: Thriving on his happy hunting ground defending champion Jyoti Randhawa romped to his third Indian Open title to emulate five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson at the Delhi Golf Course on Sunday.
Consistency personified, Randhawa signed off with a solid final round of three-under 69 to aggregate 13-under 275, steering three-shot clear of Chang Tse-peng of Chinese Taipei, who carded 68.
Thanks to his back-to-back triumph in the home event, Randhawa now has seven Asian Tour titles under his belt. His first National Open title came in 2000. Peter Thomson had won the title in 1964, 1966 and 1976 at the DGC, which the legendary Australian also re-designed in 1977-78.
Meanwhile, reading 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' last night worked wonder for Indian Rahil Gangjee who wielded his club like a wand and carded a scintillating 66 to finish third with an aggregate of eight-under 280.
With the other overnight leader Chapchai Nirat gradually fading from the scene, a supremely confident Randhawa made long strides and sunk in two birdies in his front nine. Dropping a shot on the ninth his tee shot found the bush, fetching him almost an unplayable lie was merely an aberration as the local favourite sealed the issue with a spectacular eagle on the par-four 16th.
A perfect tee shot on the 16th was followed by an equally impressive second shot that found the green, dropped twice and rolled on a couple of feet before plopping, triggering a jumping, air-pumping celebration from Randhawa.
And he had every reason to do so because by then, Randhawa had established his right to retain the title. And for others, it was just a matter of vying for the second best position.
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"I did not expect an eagle of course. All I was aiming for was to get just four-five yards from the hole. Coming off the 14th hole, I wanted to birdie one of the next two and it did not happen on the 15th. On the 16th, the pin was tough but my eight-iron shot was executed well. I thought it would be close but because of my luck, it just went in. I knew I have won the title," he said.
"I was eager to equalise Thomsons record and I am happy I did it today," he added.
Big-hitting Nirat did not look like the sweet-swinging monk and his putter was a big let down as well. He allowed Randhawa to break loose when the burly Thai dropped the first of his four bogeys on the fourth hole. And it got only worse after that.
The overnight joint leader also stumbled on a double bogey on the par-four ninth and had only two birdies to show in his round of 76. His six-under 282 was good enough for only the fifth place, which he shared, among others, with Australian Mark Brown (75).
The other Indian, who made a statement on the final day, was Gangjee. After his poor iron play did him in yesterday, Gangjee decided to make the most of the final round and was rewarded for his aggression.
The chirpy Kolkata pro dropped two bogeys but reeled off six birdies including five on his front nine and also nailed an eagle on the par-five 14th for a spectacular final round. But for his nightmarish third round of 76, Gangjee in fact could have finished even higher.
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