For all the talk about the redesigned greens around the Delhi Golf Club Lodhi course, what ultimately decided the winner was the off-the-tee adventure. Standing on the 17th, it was Ajeetesh Sandhu who could almost feel the DGC Open trophy but like he said a day before, it’s one swing that can make a difference.
Well, make that two. Lucky to have his shot bounce back from the trees onto the 12th fairway, fortune seemed to be swinging the local hope’s way. Back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th, with overnight leader Nitithorn Thippong dropping one, saw Ajeetesh cross the Thai. It all looked good for the man from Chandigarh as he nosed further ahead on the par-4 16th with Thippong failing to convert a long par putt.
Hands on his hips, scratching his head, the Bangkok native looked to his friend’s father who had been on the bag this week. Was this the tournament that slipped away? And then the wind changed direction again. Standing on the par-3 17th, with a two-stroke le ad, the finishing hole still seemed miles away as Ajeetesh soon went on a futile ball hunt in the dark foliage. “In hindsight, I would say on the 17th I tried to hit a shot which was not a high percentage one. I tried to move it with the wind to go into the flag but just didn’t make a good swing,” he said later.
Taking the bitter double-bogey medicine, he stood up to the Thai’s birdie challenge on the 18th to ride into a playoff. All square, still, at 7-under.
There were fist bumps, smiles, autographs before the final act of the drama unfolded. Back to the 18th tee, again. Sandhu’s drive did land on the fairway but bounced off to the right among the bushes. With the swaying bushes hugging him, he chipped out. Over to the gap wedge: “I felt the wind held up the third shot a little bit.”
It left him with a difficult 15-ft birdie putt, and a miss meant smooth Thippong, who had set himself up for an eagle, could afford two putts for his first Asian Tour title and a cheque for $9 0,000.
“In the playoffs, I didn’t get nervous,” said the 25-year-old Thai nicknamed ‘Fever’ who won on the Development Tour in 2018. “I was free and comfortable.” For Ajeetesh, it was his fifth second-place finish on Tour. This one must hurt a little bit more but all those competitive years on the course must have taught him something. “You always have to keep coming back from disasters,” the 33-year-old, who won the Yeangder TPC five years ago, said.
“No regrets because while competing you’re always trying your best.” To say conditions have been tough is an understatement. Gary Player had predicted a score close to 17-under which was far off from the 7-under totals. Sandhu managed a 1-under 71 on the day while Thippong went one-over.
Final round scores: 281 Nitithorn Thippong (THA) 68-70-70-73, Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND) 69-68-73-71 (Thippong won in a sudden-death playoff with a birdie); 282 Settee Prakongvech (THA) 71-70-70-71; 284 Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND) 73-66-73-72; 285 -Justin Quiban (PHI) 74-72-69-70; 286 -Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (IND) 75-70-74-67, Shiv Kapur (IND) 71-73-74-68, Mithun Perera (LKA) 73-70-74-69, Veer Ahlawat (IND) 68-67-78-73
Well, make that two. Lucky to have his shot bounce back from the trees onto the 12th fairway, fortune seemed to be swinging the local hope’s way. Back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th, with overnight leader Nitithorn Thippong dropping one, saw Ajeetesh cross the Thai. It all looked good for the man from Chandigarh as he nosed further ahead on the par-4 16th with Thippong failing to convert a long par putt.
Hands on his hips, scratching his head, the Bangkok native looked to his friend’s father who had been on the bag this week. Was this the tournament that slipped away? And then the wind changed direction again. Standing on the par-3 17th, with a two-stroke le ad, the finishing hole still seemed miles away as Ajeetesh soon went on a futile ball hunt in the dark foliage. “In hindsight, I would say on the 17th I tried to hit a shot which was not a high percentage one. I tried to move it with the wind to go into the flag but just didn’t make a good swing,” he said later.
Taking the bitter double-bogey medicine, he stood up to the Thai’s birdie challenge on the 18th to ride into a playoff. All square, still, at 7-under.
There were fist bumps, smiles, autographs before the final act of the drama unfolded. Back to the 18th tee, again. Sandhu’s drive did land on the fairway but bounced off to the right among the bushes. With the swaying bushes hugging him, he chipped out. Over to the gap wedge: “I felt the wind held up the third shot a little bit.”
It left him with a difficult 15-ft birdie putt, and a miss meant smooth Thippong, who had set himself up for an eagle, could afford two putts for his first Asian Tour title and a cheque for $9 0,000.
“In the playoffs, I didn’t get nervous,” said the 25-year-old Thai nicknamed ‘Fever’ who won on the Development Tour in 2018. “I was free and comfortable.” For Ajeetesh, it was his fifth second-place finish on Tour. This one must hurt a little bit more but all those competitive years on the course must have taught him something. “You always have to keep coming back from disasters,” the 33-year-old, who won the Yeangder TPC five years ago, said.
“No regrets because while competing you’re always trying your best.” To say conditions have been tough is an understatement. Gary Player had predicted a score close to 17-under which was far off from the 7-under totals. Sandhu managed a 1-under 71 on the day while Thippong went one-over.
Final round scores: 281 Nitithorn Thippong (THA) 68-70-70-73, Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND) 69-68-73-71 (Thippong won in a sudden-death playoff with a birdie); 282 Settee Prakongvech (THA) 71-70-70-71; 284 Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND) 73-66-73-72; 285 -Justin Quiban (PHI) 74-72-69-70; 286 -Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (IND) 75-70-74-67, Shiv Kapur (IND) 71-73-74-68, Mithun Perera (LKA) 73-70-74-69, Veer Ahlawat (IND) 68-67-78-73