Maiden over: Patience pays off for Bhullar

More than the joy of winning his maiden professional title, breaking the long-standing voodoo seemed to register more with Gaganjeet Bhullar. Robin Bose reports.

The relief was unmistakable. More than the joy of winning his maiden professional title, breaking the long-standing voodoo seemed to register more with Gaganjeet Bhullar. Stuttering when it mattered had kind of become synonymous with the 20-year-old, but the genie was finally bottled on Sunday. The Kapurthala lad fired a superb seven-under 65 (overall 19-under 269) to become the Professional Golf Tour of India's youngest winner, courtesy the PGTI's Players Championship at the Panchkula Golf Club.

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"After waiting for the last two years, it's a huge relief," Bhullar told HT. "Being aggressive early on had left me in contention several times in the past but that seemed to weigh heavy on the weekends," he said. Telling himself that a departure from the past was essential, Bhullar, who missed out on an Asian Tour title in 2007 by a whisker, opted to be patient.

After finishing Saturday as joint leader with veteran Vijay Kumar, the 2006 Doha Asian Games silver medallist, teed-off unmindful of the final result. "My short game and putting stood out this week, hence the focus was on process and routine," Bhullar said.

With the intent on repeating yesterday's performance, Bhullar's perseverance and "measured aggression" paid off and left a smile on the chubby face.