Gaganjeet Bhullar first played some great golf in relentless rain and then endured some tense moments at the end before making a victorious return to the winner's circle after a gap of three years as he won the Shinhan Donghae Open on Sunday
Ganganjeet poses with the trophy after his win yesterday. Pic/PTI
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Incheon: Gaganjeet Bhullar first played some great golf in relentless rain and then endured some tense moments at the end before making a victorious return to the winner's circle after a gap of three years as he won the Shinhan Donghae Open on Sunday.
Starting the final day, five shots behind the leader, Thailand's Thitiphun Chuayprakong, Bhullar said, "I was not in contention when I started the round but I was very certain I was going to win this week and I was full of confidence. I kept telling myself I was going to win this trophy. There was lots of dedication and will power to do that," he said.
He played superbly to find 13 of the 14 fairways and reached 15 of the 18 greens in regulation. That was the feature of his game through the week.
Bhullar endured two bogeys towards the end but hung in for a win. "Despite those two bogeys (on 16th and 17th), I was still mentally strong and I knew that nobody was going to stop me from winning today," said Bhullar, who parred the 18th.
"I knew I was leading by four shots and somehow 16 was one of the toughest holes and I had to keep the ball in play and try to make a par at least. But I made a bogey there after hitting the water. But I was strong despite that."
Bhullar, 28, whose last international win came in Indonesia in 2013, also became only the second Indian to achieve professional success in Korea – the first was Jeev Milkha Singh, who won the same event in 1994. Shiv Kapur won an Asian Games gold medal as an amateur in Busan, Korea in 2002.
Bhullar is the second Indian to win this year on Asian Tour. The first was SSP Chawrasia, who won the 2016 Hero Indian Open in March.
Bhullar said, "I had no idea that I was leading by three after the 15th. That's when I looked at the leaderboard for the first time today. When I realised that I was ahead by three, it gave me confidence and I thought I was playing well and I just needed to continue to focus and stick to my routine.
"The goal was to make a good start to the day and I achieved that by being two-under through the front-nine. I kept the momentum going thereafter. The birdies on the 10, 12, 13 and 14 were crucial as it could've swung either way on that stretch. I hit most fairways and greens today except for a couple at the end and that was good enough for a win.
"This win means a lot to me. The last time I won was back in 2013. I've gone through one of the lowest phases of my career over the last two seasons when I also suffered a wrist injury. I lost my European Tour card and my winner's status on the Asian Tour in the last two years. I'm glad and proud of myself that I've managed to overcome all the difficulties through my hard work and determination. I thank my coach and my family for all their support that helped me in getting my career back on track," added Bhullar.
Bhullar carded four-under 67, his fourth straight round in 60s to finish at 15-under and one ahead of Scott Vincent (69) and Taewoo Kim (71). Scott Hend (68) and Swede Malcolm Kokocinski (68) were tied 13-under in shared fourth place.
The win gave Bhullar a two-year exemption into the Asian Tour and a five-year exemption on Korean Tour, as this was the season-ending event on Korean PGA.
It was Bhullar's seventh international win and sixth on Asian Tour. He also has a win on European Challenge Tour.
As for the other two Indians, Khalin Joshi (71) was Tied-15th at seven-under, while Jyoti Randhawa with a fourth successive par round of 71, was Tied-54th. Daniel Chopra (70) was Tied-38th at three-under.
Bhullar seemed to be cruising to a comfortable win as he was 17-under and four shots clear with four to play. But then came the hiccup as he bogeyed 16th and 17th and tensely parred the 18th. Playing in the second last group, Bhullar then had to wait for Scott Vincent to finish his round. Vincent could have forced a play-off with a birdie on last and Taewoo Kim needed a birdie on last two to do the same. Kim got a birdie only on 18th.
With the relentless rain pelting down on the Bear's Best Cheongna Golf Club, Bhullar kept his composure by reaching the turn in 34 after three birdies and a bogey.
Four birdies in his next five holes after the turn saw Bhullar reach the top of the leaderboard at 17-under, with a commanding four-shot lead. His charge towards victory was however halted when he bogeyed 16 and 17. Bhullar parred the closing 18th for a total of 15-under-par 269. Then he nervously waited as Vincent had a par-par finish and Kim had a par-birdie finish, but that still kept Bhullar on clear.
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