In one of the most hard-fought battles on the Hero Honda Golf Tour, Asian Tour star Amandeep Johl upstaged gritty youngster Jaiveer Virk on the third play-off hole to win the Rs 600,000 Sir Padampat Singhania Open 2003.
The play-off was necessitated after Virk sank a 12-feet putt from outside the 18th green to tie with Johl at five-under 283. Johl's win handed him the winner's cheque of Rs 97,200.
Kolkata's Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia finished third at level-par 288.
The first playoff hole, the par-5 opening hole witnessed both golfers reach for their drivers. While Virk's driver bisected the fairway, Johl only managed to draw the ball onto the slope of the second green. A topped 3-wood shot from there placed him in the heart of the second fairway, adjacent to the first green but with a thicket of trees in between. Virk, meantime had hooked his three-wood between a clump of tees on the left, from where, what looked like a well-placed sand-wedge shot saw the ball overshoot the green. Johl's lob-wedge, meanwhile, found the green. Virk who left his chip short and still on the edge of the green, needed a miracle to survive.
The angles answered his prayers. Johl three-putted. The par-4 9th was the second-play-off hole, which both golfers managed to par rather easily. With the crowds queuing up again on the first tee box, Johl essayed yet another poor drive to be placed deep in the left rough this time. Virk too found the left rough but was better positioned than his opponent. A 4-iron and sand wedge from there left Virk with a 12 feet downhill putt for birdie. Johl's third shot had him sitting twenty feet from the pin with a double break staring him in the face. Luck favoured the Chandigarh pro as a perfectly timed putt found the center of the cup for birdie. Virk missed his putt.
"This win has changed a lot of things for me. For one, it is my first since the Surya Nepal Masters in 1995. All these years I was getting close but not able to convert a win, but now I finally believe I have it in me to win golf tournaments," said a visibly delighted Amandeep Johl.
Johl had incidentally missed out on a win here at this very tournament two years ago when Vijay Kumar upset his apple-cart.
"I didn't let that affect me. But Jaiveer played brilliantly. This boy has a bright future," said the winner who shot three-under 69 today.
"I am disappointed but only with the result. I played very well today," said Jaiveer Virk, who earned Rs 67,200 for his effort.
Virk, starting the day two strokes ahead of Johl, saw the latter catch up with him on the eighth hole, which he bogeyed and Johl birdied. Thereafter Johl dropped shots on the tenth and 11th to hand Virk back a two-stroke lead. Then on the 16th Virk dropped another shot and Johl caught up once again with a birdie. Johl then birdied the 17th and Virk, with a driver, 9-iron combination, set-up the 12 feet putt that ensured the play-off. Virk shot a one-under 71.
Chirag wins amateur title: Local golfer Chirag Kumar won the amateur title at 308, while Chandigarh's Sujjan Singh finished second at 311.
Scores (after 72 holes): 283_Amandeep Johl(69,70,75,69), Jaiveer Virk(75,67,70,71); 288_SSP Chowrasia(70,75,71,72); 290_Vivek Bhandari(71,74,71,74); 292_Shiv Prakash(75,76,73,68); 294_KPS Sekhon(75,75,70,74), Pappan(75,74,73,72), Rahil Gangjee(73,71,76,74).
Amateurs: 308_Chirg Kumar(76,80,77,75); 311_Sujjan Singh(77,75,83,76).
