The Hindu : Sport / Golf : ‘Exposure helped’

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Friday, Feb 08, 2008
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‘Exposure helped’

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Riding on the experience of winning titles in his last three appearances at the Delhi Golf Club, Jyoti Randhawa turned on the heat late on a cool day to head the leaderboard.

These are still early times in the $2.5 million Emaar MGF Indian Masters golf and Randhawa knows he has plenty of work to do. But it is truly amazing how Randhawa handles the pressure of ever-rising expectations every time he plays on this course.

“Well, the pressure is always there, even today, and it’s going to be there for the next few days. After all, it’s your home course, your home you’re playing in Delhi Golf Club and you’re playing with (some of) the best in the world,” he said.

Randhawa, who missed birdie-putts from under eight feet on the first, ninth, 15th, 16th and 17th holes and with it, a great chance to shoot a lower score, said, “I could have made at least four putts. On the 15th, I didn’t make the putt. On the 16th, I saw the line I needed to and I didn’t commit to the putt, so that was a bad one. Even on the 17th, I thought I was a good chance of making birdie but I think I took too much line and it never turned.”

Demanding field

Asked to comment on being selectively attacking on a course known to punish those who get aggressive, Randhawa said, “You know, you can’t shoot seven-under and be happy about it and sit on it because it’s the European Tour and people shoot really low numbers here. Whenever I get a chance, I’m going to be aggressive. When you get on the European Tour, you have to make a lot of birdies.

“Today it was a reward and I’m happy for that. The higher the level of the game goes up, you have to perform better, take more risks and hopefully, putt and chip well, too.”

“The kind of exposure and experience I’m getting in the last three or four years has helped playing on the European Tour and playing with the best in the world,” he said.

Looking ahead, Randhawa said, “I think as long as I can keep doing the same things and handle the pressure the way I did today, I think, I’ll be all right.”

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