Vijay Kumar claims title

NEW DELHI, January 10: Vijay Kumar almost lost the advantage of his overnight six-stroke lead before coming to grips on the final hole to...

NEW DELHI, January 10: Vijay Kumar almost lost the advantage of his overnight six-stroke lead before coming to grips on the final hole to win the Rs 5 lakh ONGC-NGC Open Golf Championship at the NOIDA Golf Club today. This was his fourth title win in the Wills Sport Indian golf tour this season.

Vijay, who began the day at three-over, made a series of bogies as he struggled with his short game, but finally managed to beat Chandigarh’s Amandeep Singh Johl with a birdie on the 72nd hole. The Lucknow pro played five-over 77 to aggregate eight-over 296 for four rounds, while the SAIL-sponsored Johl finished at nine over 297. Hero Honda Masters winner Jyoti Randhawa was third at 11 over 299. Vijay’s effort won him Rs 83,300 and Johl got Rs 55,550.

Johl, who last won the inaugural Surya Nepal Open way back in 1994, lead by two strokes after 70 holes, but made successive bogies on the 17th and 18th holes, while Vijay sunk in a 15 footer putt for birdie on the final hole to seal the issue.

Story continues below this ad

Simarjeet Singh, an OIL employee playing at his home course, won the amateur’s section with an aggregate of 306 after playing a four-over 76 final round. Sheeraz Kalra took the runner-up title with a tally of 316.

More than Johl catching up with Vijay, it was more a case of Vijay sliding down to meet Johl while Johl played consistent golf making birdies on the 6th and 8th holes, before making his first bogey on the 9th, Vijay went on a bogey binge as his short game went up in smoke. In the front nine, he made bogies on the 1st, 4th,5th and 9th holes. Another bogey on the 11th brought him level with Johl at eight-over.

Vijay’s bad luck continued when his tee shot found the water hazard on the par-4 12th, and then a super putt lipped out from 15 feet to give him another bogey. Johl, on the other hand, was lucky to miss the water hazard by four feet, but sunk a super 12 feet downhill putt to take a two-stroke lead over Vijay.

It seemed in the morning that Randhawa would make a charge when he made birdies on the 1st, 2nd and 4th holes and was levelled with the leaders Vijay and johl at eight-over after 12 holes. But double bogies on the 13th and 16th ruined his chances.