Macau, October 14, 2012: India ’s Gaganjeet Bhullar completed
a commanding start-to-finish victory at the Venetian Macau Open on Sunday,
closing with a three-under-par 68 to secure his second Asian Tour title in five
starts.
The talented Indian, who won the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship inTaipei last month, held
off the combined challenges from American Jonathan Moore, who finished two
shots back in second place after a 65, and Thai youngster Thitiphun Chuayprakong,
who closed with a 70 to share third place with Bangladeshi Siddikur (66).
Bhullar, 24, was in control with an outward 31 to lead by three shots but bogeys on 10 and 13 opened the door for his rivals. A pumped-upMoore raced home with
five closing birdies to apply the pressure but Bhullar responded like a true
champion.
He drained a six-foot par putt on 17 to hold on to a slender one-shot lead into the last hole and then delivered a grandstand finish with a 12-foot birdie to become the first Indian winner of the Venetian Macau Open, which was being title sponsored for the first time by The Venetian Macau-Resort-Hotel.
“This is going to take a long time to sink in. I hit the ball so good. I was just in the perfect zone. More than that, it was self-belief.
This is my first wire-to-wire Asian Tour title. I think it was more that I had to prove to myself that I’m a good front runner. I had to believe in myself. I did it and it was really special,” said Bhullar, who earned US$118,875 for his fourth Asian Tour victory.
Bhullar, who had his country’s leading amateur golfer Ashbeer Saini as his caddie, was flawless on the front nine with birdies on two, three, five and seven as he kept his foot on the pedal. The two dropped shots made his victory march a little more nerve-wracking especially when he faced a six-foot par putt on 17.
“I thought I was going to play relaxed in the last few holes. But Jonathan played really well. He holed a long putt on 17 … I saw that. I had a good tee shot, missed on the left but the first putt, I hit it over the hole. Trust me, it wasn’t an easy putt (coming back). I had to visualize the ball going into the hole a few times and that’s what I did. I think the putt on 17 was the putt of the tournament. The whole week, I just struck the ball really well. Mentally, I was focused and I was in the zone. I knew I would win it easily,” said
Bhullar, who totaled 16-under-par 268 for the week.
Moore, who came through the Asian Development Tour as the number one player last year, was delighted to post his best finish on the Asian Tour. His cheque of US$81,375 has now secured his full playing rights for 2013.
The 20-year-old Thitiphun fought bravely on the front nine as he kept up with Bhullar with four birdies in his first six holes. But disaster struck on the eighth when he drove his ball out of bounds en route to a double bogey which took the wind out of his sail.
Bangladeshi Siddikur finished strongly with four birdies in his last six holes for tied third as he snatched the last ticket to the WGC-HSBC Champions inChina next
month from the Order of Merit ahead of Scott Hend, who finished equal sixth.
Shiv Kapur finished fifth at 10-under-274.
Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said, “A very hearty congratulations to Gaganjeet for a well-deserved second win of the year on the Asian Tour. Gaganjeet’s triumph at the Macau Open reaffirms his status as one ofAsia ’s leading golfers. His strong &
consistent performances on the international stage will have a tremendous impact on the confidence levels of Indian professionals.
Gaganjeet has made an immense contribution in bringing international recognition to Indian professional golf over the last few years. We wish him many more successes in the future.”
The talented Indian, who won the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in
Bhullar, 24, was in control with an outward 31 to lead by three shots but bogeys on 10 and 13 opened the door for his rivals. A pumped-up
He drained a six-foot par putt on 17 to hold on to a slender one-shot lead into the last hole and then delivered a grandstand finish with a 12-foot birdie to become the first Indian winner of the Venetian Macau Open, which was being title sponsored for the first time by The Venetian Macau-Resort-Hotel.
“This is going to take a long time to sink in. I hit the ball so good. I was just in the perfect zone. More than that, it was self-belief.
This is my first wire-to-wire Asian Tour title. I think it was more that I had to prove to myself that I’m a good front runner. I had to believe in myself. I did it and it was really special,” said Bhullar, who earned US$118,875 for his fourth Asian Tour victory.
Bhullar, who had his country’s leading amateur golfer Ashbeer Saini as his caddie, was flawless on the front nine with birdies on two, three, five and seven as he kept his foot on the pedal. The two dropped shots made his victory march a little more nerve-wracking especially when he faced a six-foot par putt on 17.
“I thought I was going to play relaxed in the last few holes. But Jonathan played really well. He holed a long putt on 17 … I saw that. I had a good tee shot, missed on the left but the first putt, I hit it over the hole. Trust me, it wasn’t an easy putt (coming back). I had to visualize the ball going into the hole a few times and that’s what I did. I think the putt on 17 was the putt of the tournament. The whole week, I just struck the ball really well. Mentally, I was focused and I was in the zone. I knew I would win it easily,” said
Bhullar, who totaled 16-under-par 268 for the week.
Moore, who came through the Asian Development Tour as the number one player last year, was delighted to post his best finish on the Asian Tour. His cheque of US$81,375 has now secured his full playing rights for 2013.
The 20-year-old Thitiphun fought bravely on the front nine as he kept up with Bhullar with four birdies in his first six holes. But disaster struck on the eighth when he drove his ball out of bounds en route to a double bogey which took the wind out of his sail.
Bangladeshi Siddikur finished strongly with four birdies in his last six holes for tied third as he snatched the last ticket to the WGC-HSBC Champions in
Shiv Kapur finished fifth at 10-under-274.
Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said, “A very hearty congratulations to Gaganjeet for a well-deserved second win of the year on the Asian Tour. Gaganjeet’s triumph at the Macau Open reaffirms his status as one of
consistent performances on the international stage will have a tremendous impact on the confidence levels of Indian professionals.
Gaganjeet has made an immense contribution in bringing international recognition to Indian professional golf over the last few years. We wish him many more successes in the future.”
A PGTI Press release
No comments:
Post a Comment