Mukesh putts Panasonic Open

New Delhi, December 4

Veteran Mukesh Kumar completed a wire-to-wire victory at the weather-shortened Panasonic Open India to claim his first Asian Tour title by one shot on Sunday.

Kumar, who had a two-shot advantage heading into the final round, closed with a two-under-par 70 for a winning total of a 10-under-par 206 at the $400,000 Asian Tour event, which was reduced to 54 holes due to fog disruptions.

Kumar’s victory, worth $72,000, made him the oldest winner on the Asian Tour at the age of 51 years and 126 days. The Indian duo of Jyoti Randhawa and Rashid Khan closed with matching 68s to share the second place at the Delhi Golf Club.

Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka had his third consecutive top-five finish at the Panasonic Open after shooting a 70 to take the fourth place with 208. He is the only non-Indian to finish inside the top-10 at the Asian Tour event, which celebrated its sixth edition this week. Kumar, who has won 123 titles on the PGTI circuit, was ecstatic over his career’s biggest win — it was his first international win since turning professional 32 years ago. “I am very proud of myself. I have waited 32 years for this,” said Kumar. “This means a lot to me. It feels different from the 123 wins that I have had on the domestic Tour. I have been waiting to achieve this.”

Kumar saw his lead reduced to one after dropping a shot on the third hole. He bounced back with two straight birdies to regain his two-shot edge, but Randhawa caught up with him on the 15th when he sank his fourth birdie. Kumar, however, kept his cool by nailing a crucial 20-footer birdie putt on the 15th. It proved decisive as he regained a one-shot lead, and then had three straight pars to lift the trophy.

“The 20-footer that I made for a birdie on the 15th was the decisive putt for me. I knew I had a good chance after sinking that putt. I told myself that I just needed to par the last three holes.

“Even though I knew Jyoti was just one shot behind and had a good chance on the 18th being a long-hitter, I didn’t think too much about that. I just focused on what I needed to do,” added Kumar.

Randhawa, who was bidding for a ninth Asian Tour win and a fifth at the Delhi Golf Club, tipped his hat to Kumar for being a deserving winner.

“I am very happy for Mukesh. He played well for his first Asian Tour victory, so hats off to him,” said Randhawa. “It’s great for him because it’s his first international win after so many years of playing on the local Tour. I did my best today. Maybe just one shot was bad but this is golf for you. As long as you do your best, it’s alright,” said the 44-year-old. — PTI