Jakarta: Gaganjeet Bhullar dominated the Indonesia Open after shooting a flawless three-under-par 68 to win his first Asian Tour title in 2013 by three shots on Sunday.
The talented Indian opened with 10 straight pars but displayed a gutsy back nine performance highlighted by three birdies to complete a sensational wire-to-wire triumph at the US$750,000 Asian Tour event.
Malaysian rising star Nicholas Fung contended for the title before finishing tied second on 66 with Chapchai Nirat of Thailand, who shot two eagles today, at the Pantai Indah Kapuk Course at Damai Indah Golf.
Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh ended his campaign with a 67 in solo fourth on 272 while Jyoti Randhawa (69) of India was a further shot back. Young Thai Jazz Janewattananond, the co-leader at the start of the day, returned with a disappointing 74 to finish tied sixth, but the 18-year-old earned plaudits by the Asian Tour stars for his battling performance.
At the end of 18 holes, it was Bhullar who was the last man standing. He got off to a slow start but picked up pace when the field, which included a fast charging Siddikur, Jazz and Fung, edged closer and threatened to overtake him.
A birdie on 11 was the turning point in his round which led to two more birdies on holes 13 and 14. His momentum came to halt when inclement weather suspended play for over an hour but he returned with four pars to clinch his fifth Asian Tour title.
“I gave myself a lot of opportunities in the first nine holes but I misjudged my yardages on a few holes. Apart from that, there was no difference in my strategy. Winning takes a lot of patience. I’m glad I stayed patient and showed a lot of confidence.”
“It was kind of difficult for me when play was suspended. I find it hard to go back to my momentum. But I guess these kind of scenarios are common in Asia. We just have to accept it as it is,” said Bhullar, who took home the winner’s prize purse of US$135,000.
The victory was also a welcome return to form for the Indian who struggled in the last six months and finished last at the World Cup of Golf in Australia last week.
“I haven’t had much success this season but I know my game was up there and winning is just a matter of time. I waited so long for my fifth win and this is my 10th consecutive event. Mentally, I was exhausted but Indonesia is one of my favourite cities as I won my first title on the Asian Tour here,” said Bhullar.
The bespectacled Fung turned in 32 to raise his hopes of winning his first Asian Tour title before running out of holes. The 23-year-old settled for tied-second, which is his best Asian Tour result since finishing tied fifth in Manila two weeks ago.
Despite his defeat, Fung held his head high after a worthy performance that was highlighted by a superb 30-yard bunker shot from the edge of the 17th green which resulted in a two feet birdie.
“I’m extremely happy with my performance this week. It’s really good to see my name up on the leaderboard amongst the other experienced players,” said the Fung, hailed as one of the most talented players from Malaysia.
“During the rain suspension, I checked my phone and was overwhelmed with tons of messages from my friends and family, as well as my supporters. I felt really encouraged and I’m glad I didn’t disappoint them,” he smiled.
Chapchai, a three-time Asian Tour winner, remains confident that he still has what it takes to end a four-year title drought on the region’s premier Tour which is celebrating its 10th season in 2013. His runner-up finish was his best result this year.
“I’m very happy with my round. I’m very hungry for a victory. I’m getting closer to it. I can really feel it. The win is coming soon.”
“I made a few mistakes after my first eagle and I was so angry with myself. I gave my tee shot on the 17th hole a 100% effort and my seven iron approach landed 20 feet from the hole. I had a lot of time to think about that putt during the weather delay and made it when play resumed,” smiled Chapchai.
The 39th edition of Indonesia’s national championship, which has a rich and illustrious history dating back to its first edition in 1974, is the nation’s oldest golf tournament.
The 2013 Indonesia Open is supported by some of the most recognisable domestic and international brands, which include BANK BRI, Total E&P Indonesie, Japfa, PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, JS Luwansa Hotel & Convention Center, Pertamina, Harum Energy, Bintang, Sequislife, Subway, Beringer, Mazda, Srixon, Loewe, Danone, Hypernet, Ricoh, White Horse and Maui Jim.
Scores after round 4 of the Indonesia Open 2013 being played at the par 71, 7100 Yards Damai Indah GC course (a- denotes amateur):
268 - Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 64-67-69-68.
271 - Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 66-67-72-66, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 67-67-71-66.
272 - Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN) 71-65-69-67.
273 - Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 69-70-65-69.
274 - Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 74-65-67-68, Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 71-68-67-68, Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 70-64-69-71, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 66-66-68-74.
275 - Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 67-66-71-71, Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 67-67-68-73.
276 - Sutijet KOORATANAPISAN (THA) 70-71-71-64, Steve LEWTON (ENG) 71-68-71-66.
277 - Sam BRAZEL (AUS) 67-72-71-67, Daniel CHOPRA (SWE) 71-69-68-69, Rattanon WANNASRICHAN (THA) 72-68-67-70.
