Randhawa few steps from second straight title

NEW DELHI, OCT 30: The walk said it all. The spring and the confidence with which he approached each shot, and sometimes even after botch...

NEW DELHI, OCT 30: The walk said it all. The spring and the confidence with which he approached each shot, and sometimes even after botching the one before, bespoke of a champion. Slowly, but steadily, Jyoti Randhawa is beginning to realise that he is indeed the one destined for bigger things.

And he is just 18 holes from what will be an enviable record the first player to achieve a back-to-back win in the five years the APGA Tour has been in existence. The 27-year-old, who shifted base from Meerut to Delhi after the Hero Honda Masters last year, could well shift onto a new plane in terms of golf, if he manages to string together his second win on the APGA by retaining the Hero Honda Masters. Focussed and yet smiling and enjoying the great run he has been having, Jyoti started out the day with a 36-hole aggregate of six under. And he closed it with a nine-under tally for 54 holes and a handy lead of three strokes on the second-placed pack which included the Indian Open champion Arjun Atwal, and a17-year-old amateur, Ashok Kumar who is having the time of his life on his home course.

The third man in the second pack is Sammy Daniels, who despite a string of none-too-happy tee shots closed the day with what may well have been the shot of the tournament. His second shot saw him in the right bunker, 30 yards from the pin. He used his sandwedge to perfection and even as the ball was on its pin-bound journey there was a huge applause for the excellent shot. But that cheer turned into a roar as the ball kept going and disappeared into the cup. There was some respite for Jeev Milkha Singh as he finally had a normal day. Today could have been even better than the three-under 69, but for those two missed eagle putts from five feet on the eighth and from eight feet on the 18th. Still five birdies with two bogeys and no more bad luck or mistakes finally saw a genuine smile appear on his face. Jyoti started with a tee shot that saw him go into the left bush he took a provisional ball, too but then on seeingthe ball went with the first one. A fine chip out with a seven iron and a birdie thereafter set the trend. He did bogey the third after going into the rough but there was no letting up. He played steady but the birdies came only on the 14th, 16th and 18th. However, the important thing was there were no mistakes and no bogies after the third.

Scores

207: Jyoti Randhawa 69, 69, 69; 210: Arjun Atwal 70, 72, 68, Ashok Kumar Amateur 72, 70, 68, Sammy Daniels S.Africa 70, 69, 71; 211: Greg Hanrahan USA 74, 68, 69; 212: John Kernohan USA 72, 71, 69; Arjun Singh 71, 69, 72; Anthony Kang Korea 68, 72, 72; Christopher Williams S Africa 68, 70, 74; 213 Ali Sher 74, 69, 70; 214: Rodrigo Cuello PHI 70, 73, 71; SSP Chowrasia 69, 77, 68; 215: Gaurav Ghei 74, 67, 74; Rafael Ponce ECU 69, 70, 76; Scott Talyor USA 68, 72, 75; Harmeet Kahlon 72, 71, 72; Mukesh Kumar 69, 72, 74; 216: Hendrik Buhrmann S.Africa 72, 75, 69; Feroz Ali 68, 72, 76; 217: Gerry Norquist USA 71, 75, 71; Amritinder Singh,73, 76, 68; Basad Ali 72, 71, 74; Robert Huxtable USA 72, 74, 71; Des Terblanche S.Africa 72, 75, 70; Shiv Prakash 74, 71, 72; Shiv Kapur A 77, 69, 71; 218: Davender Patel 74, 71 73; Jumman 71, 73, 74; Pappan 75, 71, 72; Tomoaki Ueda Japan 76, 74, 68; 219: Jeev M Singh 74, 76, 69; Dinesh Kumar 72, 73, 74; Vishal Singh 74, 71, 74.

Amateurs: 210: Ashok Kumar 72, 70, 68; 217: Shiv Kapur 77, 69, 71; 224: Simarjeet Singh 76, 75, 73; 231: Sheeraz Kalra 73, 76, 82.