E-Paper
Weary Randhawa clinches title
The anxiety to nail the putt could not have been more apparent. Vijay Kumar was yet to get the putter to work for his final shot of the PGTI Players Championship, but Jyoti Randhawa had already lined up for his turn.
The anxiety to nail the putt could not have been more apparent. Vijay Kumar was yet to get the putter to work for his final shot of the PGTI Players Championship, but Jyoti Randhawa had already lined up for his turn. If the two-and-a-half-year title drought was uppermost on the mind, the body-sapping humidity and fatigue were also wearing down the lithe frame.
The distance between him and the title was less than two-feet, but the prevailing phase had left him overtly wary. Taking his time to read the line, Jyoti settled into his stance before holing the ball with a gentle tap of the putter. Relief written all over the weather-beaten face, the odd clap was acknowledged with a slight raise of the arms and a tap of the visor.
Going through 32 holes in almost cent percent humidity on Thursday had left the 39-year-old weary and a restless night compounded matters. The body unwilling, Jyoti came close to calling it quits after the 9th but spirit scored over fatigue and tough conditions at the Classic Golf Resort.
“It was one of the toughest finals I’ve featured in. Manav (Jaini) ran me close but the pressure was on me to win, given that I've been around longer,” said Jyoti.
Final Scores: 277: Jyoti Randhawa (69, 66, 70, 72), 278: Manav Jaini (69, 68, 71, 70), 280: Himmat Rai (69, 70, 68, 73),283: Vikrant Chopra (70, 75, 66, 72); Md Mollah (73, 66, 73, 71); Vijay Kumar (68, 67, 74, 74)
