New Zealander Mark Brown had a delightful Sunday when he romped home the coveted Johnnie Walker Classic trophy to record his second consecutive win in India in just two week's time. Brown also claimed the SAIL Open held at the Jaypee Greens in Greater Noida last week.
Brown (71, 68, 64, and 67) continued his dream run in India as he posted his second consecutive win on Indian soil to take home a purse of US$ 409,743. The Kiwi lifted the Johnnie Walker Classic 2008 at the DLF Golf & Country Club after edging past his nearest contenders Aussies Greg Chalmers and Scott Strange and Japan’s Taichiro Kiyota (all tied second) by three strokes.
Two Indians and Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) members Shiv Kapur and Jyoti Randhawa also finished in the top 10 at the Johnnie Walker Classic even as. PGTI member Jeev Milkha Jeev Milkha Singh had another decent performance as he secured tied 11th.
Brown’s total for the tournament was eighteen under par 270. Brown came up with fine birdies on the sixth, seventh, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 18th and bogeys on the fourth and ninth on Sunday.
PGTI member Shiv Kapur’s tied fifth was the best finish among the Indians. This was his first top 10 finish of 2008. Kapur’s scores for the week were 69, 65, 72 and 68 and his overall total was fourteen under 274. He finished four strokes behind the winner.
The Dubai-based golfer’s final round of 68 was punctuated by five birdies and one bogey. There were not too many fireworks from Kapur on the front nine as he made the turn after making eight pars and one birdie on the sixth. The 26-year-old picked up the pace on the back nine with birdies on the 10th, 11th, 17th and 18th. He dropped one bogey on the 12th.
“It’s a matter of patience when you’re coming from behind and I went to attack and had to defend which is a fine line. The only blemish on the card was on the 12th. However, any time you finish with two birdies, you have to feel good about your round,” said Kapur.
“It’s a bonus because if anyone had told me at the start of the week that I’ll be 14 under par, I’d be laughing at them,” Kapur added.
PGTI member Jyoti Randhawa rounded off his week with an even par 72 to finish eighth. Randhawa had shot 70, 65 and 68 on the first three days, carding a total of thirteen under 275 for the tournament. This was his fourth top 10 finish in 2008.
The Gurgaon-based golfer’s previous top 10 finishes this year came at last week’s SAIL Open (tied second), the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters (tied seventh) and the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open (tied seventh). Randhawa had a relatively quiet day as he made birdies on the third, 13th, 18th, a double bogey on the fifth and a bogey on the seventh.
The former Asia no. 1 Randhawa summed up his day saying, “I expected too much today but could not deliver. I think I need to take a rest now. I was also under a little bit of pressure today as I wanted to finish well on my home course.”
Jeev Milkha Singh (68, 70, 70, and 69) secured tied 11th as his overall score read eleven under 277. Jeev’s bogey-free 69 on Sunday included birdies on the first, 11th and 14th.
“I expected more but am nevertheless happy with my last round. I’ll take a lot of positives from this performance because I have been hitting well and have also done well with the putter. Saturday was the only day when I did not putt well,” Jeev said.
Arjun Atwal (69, 72, 67, and 71) ended the Johnnie Walker Classic in tied 17th position with a final score of nine under 279. PGTI member Atwal’s final round 71 saw him make birdies on the third, seventh, 10th, 15th, 17th and 18th and bogeys on the fourth, fifth, eighth, 12th and 16th. World no. 11 Vijay Singh (70, 68, 69, and 72) joined Atwal in tied 17th place.
After showing promise in the earlier stages of the tournament, PGTI member Rahil Gangjee could only manage an even par 72 in the fourth round. Gangjee, who had registered scores of 68, 71 and 70 on the first three days, finished with a tournament score of seven under 281 and was placed tied 30th. World no. 5 Adam Scott (68, 68, 74, and 71) joined Gangjee in tied 30th position.
Mukesh Kumar’s 75 on Sunday took his total to four under 284. As a result of his last round Mukesh, a double-winner on the PGTI in the 2007-08 season, slipped from overnight tied 21st to tied 44th. His earlier scores were 73, 69 and 67.
|
|
Read More: Gurgaon
Comments:
