Randhawa strikes it rich in HongKong

Feature by Anand Datla

It is not often that we have an Indian golfer atop an international leaderboard. The pleasant sight of Jyoti Randhawa taking the lead at the Hong Kong Open came as a bolt from the blue for even the most ardent supporters of Indian golf. At 42, the man from Delhi sprang a mighty surprise by outplaying an illustrious field of golfers to earn the lead at this prestigious event.

In fact the last time Randhawa tasted victory was way back in 2009, when he won the Singha Thailand Open on the Asian Tour. Since then though, he has suffered a steady decline dropping to his current ranking of 462 in the world.

But the tide sure seems to be turning for Randhawa, who might be catching a second win after living in the shadows for the past few years. Of the eleven events he played this season, nine were on the Asian Tour with the other two played on the Japanese Tour and the European Tour.

The Hong Kong Open is his 12th event this season and despite enjoying a steady stream of good results in recent months, few if any would have anticipated the weather worn golfer to lead over a strong field of seasoned professionals.

Randhawa’s career high came in 2007 when he enjoyed six top ten finishes as he made his way into the top 100 in the rankings. Even as he journeyed the tour, it was obvious during the past few years that man from Delhi had lost his edge.

But a recent run of consistency and good health seem to have combined to help Randhawa find a memorable round at the Hong Kong Golf Club. “I’ve been playing decent in the last few weeks but haven’t been able to put up a good number. Today I really putted my heart out, so I’m really happy with the way it went, and I’m glad I got the pace on the greens right,” said an obviously pleased Randhawa.

It may sound simple, but it appears that a disciplined regime of fitness is starting to pay off for the veteran Indian. “I’ve been working on my physical fitness with my coach. We’ve been doing a lot of cardio and building my lower body. I changed my swing last year and I’m swinging better because of a more stable lower body. It is still not that strong but I’m working on it,” informed Randhawa.

Now hopeful fans will look to Randhawa to see if he can try and hold off a crowded bunch of golfers, seeking eagerly to displace the Indian from the top of the leaderboard. In the meantime though Randhawa can savour a memorable round of golf. Randhawa turned hot with the putter, posting five birdies on the back nine, including two consecutive birdies to close his round with a brilliant flourish.