Report by Anand Datla
Domaine de Bel Ombre, May 10, 2015: In the cloudy gloom that enveloped the Heritage Golf Club in Mauritius, both Rahil Gangjee and Gaganjeet Bhullar left feeling deflated for different reasons. Bhullar wanted to make a move in the third round and an even par 71 did not help his cause; Gangjee on the other hand was ruing a missed opportunity after he made four bogeys on the back nine to slide into the crowd. Interestingly enough, Bhullar chose the practice range to try and ignite his hopes, while Gangjee preferred to soak in the ocean to heal his wounds. Bhullar shot a 68 in the final round to finish at 2-under 282 (72-71-71-68). Gangjee found a 66 to climb inside the top 20 offer a nice little gift to his mama on mother’s day.
Both men returned refreshed and eager this morning, their eyes set on a respectable finish at this inaugural AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. The life of a tournament might only be four days but for a player in the midst of it all, it plays out like a story within a story in slow motion.
Midway through the second round on Friday, Bhullar was 4-over through eleven holes and a near certainty to pack his bags. The first three holes were bogeys and he somehow kept his faith as he marched along with eight straight pars. In a remarkable turnaround, Bhullar found two birdies in the final three holes to reignite a nearly lost cause.
Having made the turnaround, Bhullar raised the bar for himself, wanting dearly to climb up the ladder. And he was disheartened with himself for failing to push forth on Saturday. Going to work on the range paid dividends for the golfer – for the first time this week, Bhullar made pars at the first four holes to make a positive start to his final round.
The 492nd ranked golfer grew from strength to strength, producing five birdies in his final round to finish the tournament feeling upbeat about his game. Speaking exclusively to Golfing Indian, Gangjee said, “I am happy with the way I played today. I had given away eleven shots this week on the first four holes and making a solid start today helped my confidence.”
“The bogey at the 17th was a bit of a setback,” he added. “But overall a good finish to the tournament. I hope to build on this and play well on the European Tour and the Asian Tour in the months to come.”
Gangjee on the other had been rousing hopes in India and Mauritius, having flirted with the top 10 this week. He was T5 at one point during the week, but a poor back nine on Saturday cost the world No. 399 dearly.
Having slipped to 2-under, his lowest point this week Gangjee decided to embrace the ocean to heal his turbulent soul. An hour of solitude helped Gangjee soak in the warmth of the water, relax and reflect on the things that went wrong on Saturday.
Gangjee came back a much stronger person today, settling into an early rhythm and never quite looking back. Back to back birdies at the 4th and 5th set him sailing – eventually he would make three birdies on either side of his run to the clubhouse. The only blemish came through a bogey at the 8th but other than that it was a terrific finish to the event for Gangjee. So it was too for Bhullar, helping both men look ahead positively to the treasures that await them this season.
