BENGALURU : After winning the 2016 Asian Tour Rookie of the Year award, Scott Vincent continued his impressive run with four top-10 finishes in 2017. It has been an even better 2018 for the Zimbabwean, who has already clinched six top-10 finishes, including a second place finish in Indonesia last month. However he has not been able to win any titles on the Tour and the 26-year-old will be keen to break his duck when he participates in the Take Solution Masters at Karnataka Golf Association from Thursday.
Vincent is the highest ranked player (10) in the Asian Tour Order of Merit to participate in the event. Vincent is banking on his redhot form (top-seven finishes in three of his last four tournaments) to win the title and he understands the importance of striking it well on the fairway over the next few days. The city has been witnessing rains quite regularly with strong winds, as a result of which the course could prove to be challenging. “I would love to (win my first Asian Tour title).
I am playing good golf. These two months have been fun for me. Hopefully this run of form continues and I can only get better from here. This sport is unpredictable and the course is very challenging,” Vincent told reporters. Vincent will have to contend with a strong field and it is going to make his search for a maiden title even more difficult. One of the obvious contenders will be six-time Asian Tour winner SSP Chawrasia as well as defending champion Poom Saksansin. Besides the two, last season’s runners- up Khalin Joshi, who is a local and whose home course is the KGA, will be eager to finish one better this edition. Prom Meesawat, Danthai Boonma (both Thailand) and Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines are other notable foreigners in the field of 156 golfers. “The field is very strong.
There are a lot of good players (Chawrasia, Joshi and Chiragh Kumar ) and a lot of winners as well. I know there are some good players from Thailand. It is not going to be a walk in the park for anyone. It is going to be a hard fought battle this week,” said Vincent. Many of these golfers have different objectives. If Vincent is aiming to win his first Tour title, Chawrasia, who has missed the cut in his last seven events, will try to roar back into form starting with this tournament. ashim.sunam@newindianexpress.com
Lahiri set for 15th Major,to overtake Jeev
ST LOUIS (US): Anirban Lahiri will become the Indian to have participated in most Major golf competitions, at the PGA Championship beginning on Thursday. It will Lahiri’s 15th appearance at the Majors. Jeev Milkha Singh held the previous Indian record of 14. Shubhankar Sharma is also in the field and will become the third Indian to have played all four Majors in a single year after Jeev in 2007 and Lahiri in 2015 and 2016. Globally, all eyes will be on Tiger Woods after his splendid run at the Open.