A third straight 69 at the Indian Open was satisfying,not because it was great golf,but because it was fighting golf in the sense a missed cut was a distinct possibility. Now,I have a 15th place to show for my four rounds.
The positive is that a good week is around the corner. The three 69s could easily have been three 67s or 68s with better putting and from there anything could have happened. Not bad,at all.
That would also stand for Chiragh Kumar,though at a different level. In fact,even though there must be a touch of disappointment for having missed out on his first title,he would also be somewhat relieved that he wont be thinking about a card for 2012 any longer. He will be in all big events next year and can plan ahead and choose his events.
His first two days were unbelievable. Sometimes it is very hard to follow up rounds of 64 and 67. His 70-70 over the weekend were superb considering the pressure situation of playing as a runaway leader. If anything,he did not crumble under pressure. It was just that Gleeson first made a great start and then never made a mistake.
Gleeson has had a good turnaround over the last month. We were all there when he came close to winning at Macau Open. Now that win has come and with it entry to big events like CIMB Classic,WGC-HSBC and an exemption till the end of 2013,he can play the kind of golf he wants.
A word for my friend,SSP Chowrasia. He got his first top-10 since his win in Avantha to go back to the top of the Order of Merit,an honour he is capable of winning. Himmat Rai also made a good dash into top-10 and Manav Jaini turned on his DGC magic with a 67-67 on the weekend and moved to tied 12th.