Cunning climbs from back to win title

Peacocks danced on the fairways, as the final round of the Royal Challenge Indian Open dawned, promising excitement and probably yet another Indian victor.

The dynamic leaderboard — with Jyoti Randhawa at the top and brother-in-law Digvijay Singh at 10th place, with the likes of Arjun Atwal and Mike Cunning amongst the top 10 – awaited the action and the last three groups out on the course that would bring home the winner.

Jyoti started as the local favourite, but Mike Cunning was the deserving winner as he carded an eight-under, 64, taking his total to 18-under-par, 270, to card a five-stroke victory and take home the winner’s cheque worth US$50,000 and the Royal Challenge Indian Open trophy. Mike finally put all doubts to rest as he started the day with birdies on the first, second, third holes.

“I have had a lot of good finishes but over the years, have not had a good start on Sundays. Therefore, after so many years of finishing close to the top on Sunday but not winning, one does begin to doubt oneself. However, I had a great start today with birdies on the first, second and third holes and just capitalised on it,” said Mike, who won the Asian PGA tour’s Order of Merit 1997 without carding a single victory. “It was just towards the last three or four events in ’97 that I thought I would actually win the order of merit,” he added.

Playing his 20th Indian Open, Mike, knows the Delhi Golf Course well and feels that this course suits his game — he also carded the lowest Indian Open winning total today. “Length does play an important part and the game has changed a lot over the years, just like tennis has changed a lot. However, this is one golf course that does not require length as much as it requires accuracy,” added Cunning, who was a member of the Davis Cup team, before he started playing golf. After three birdies in the first three holes, Mike dropped a stroke on the fourth but picked up birdies on the fifth – hitting it close to a foot and a half from the hole – and sixth but dropped a stroke on the ninth to make the turn at 13-under-par, three-under-par for the day. He then carded hat-trick birdies on the 13th, 14th and 15th holes, followed by two more birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to card a bogey-free five-under back nine and an eight-under, 64 for the day.

Rick Gibson, who finished runners-up for the second consecutive year was not disappointed either. “This course is also well-suited to my game, as I do not hit the ball that long, just like Mike, but am pretty accurate. I like playing this golf course and would like to keep coming back,” said the Canadian, who started competing when he was 13 and is now making a comeback after two years away from competitive golf.

Adam Groom and James Kingston tied for third place at 12-under, 276. The highlight of Kingston’s round was an albatross on the par-five eighth hole. Of the seven albatrosses carded on this tour, three have been holed out by Kingston. However, the South African, who was four-under the front nine with two birdies and an albatross and temporarily tied for the lead, made two bogies on the back nine and failed to maintain his lead.

Meanwhile, first round leader Zaw Moe finished sole third, while Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal finished sixth. Jyoti Randhawa had a roller coaster ride as he started out with a birdie on the first, followed by a bogey on the third, another birdie on the fourth and bogeys on the sixth and eighth to make the turn at two-over for the round. He then bogeyed the 10th and 11th holes and birdied the 15th and 18th holes to card a two-over, 74.

Arjun Atwal also failed to get into contention as he double bogeyed the third hole and birdied the eight and tenth holes to get back to level-par for the day. He then birdied the 13th and 18th holes to card a two-under, 70. Mo Joong Kyung and Aung Win were a further stroke behind at 279.

Digvijay Singh failed to improve upon his third place finish last year as he had hoped and could only maintain his tenth place standing with a one-under, 71 today which took his total to eight-under-par, 280, tied alongside Craig Kamps.