CHENNAI: Till about the last quarter of the final round at the Classic Golf & Country Club Championship in Haryana’s Nuh, Indian hopes of a first Asian Tour title of the year were alive. Trailing Rory Hie by one stroke overnight, Rashid Khan was on the heels of the Indonesian up to the 14th hole. The gap was still the same, with South Korean Kim Byungjung joining the Indian at second.
What happened over the last four holes was another so-near-yet-so-far story, which summarises the Indian experience in international events this year. Hie reeled off a hat-trick of birdies from 13 to 15, Kim went without one in the last six but Khan suffered a bogey right after his 14th-hole birdie to go out of reckoning.
A birdie on the last hole gave him a share of the second spot with Kim. With tallies of 19-under 269, they finished two shots behind Hie.
Aadil Bedi returned a six-under including birdies in the last five holes to finish sole fourth at 18-under. Aman Raj and Abhijit Chadha were in a group of four tied fifth on 17-under. While four in the top five can’t be called a bad outing, from the host nation’s point of view this event remained an opportunity lost. After 16 international titles in the last three years, Indians remain without one in 2019. There are nine more events to go on the Asian Tour.
“Not nailing it despite being so close was disappointing,” Khan told this newspaper. “Being in the leading group for so long, trailing the leader by one stroke till the 14th hole and not being able to get there... Tied second is not bad but there is this empty feeling. The worst part was the bogey on the 15th, perhaps the easiest hole on this course. But I never recovered after missing the fairway. It was an opportunity lost.”
Having made headlines earlier in the year following a fallout with the Delhi Golf Club authorities, Khan is practising in different places instead of his alma mater, where he is not allowed. “It hurts when you think that you can’t go to the place you grew up in. I make do by practising here and there. But I don’t feel bad about it anymore and take it as a challenge.”
Winner of two Asian Tour titles in 2014, Khan is still to win another. Without a sponsor, he can only play a handful of tournaments rather than trying his luck in more countries. In spite of that, he has had a decent year outside home confines. Sunday’s tied second was his third top-10 in Asia this season in five tournaments. He was third at the Bangabandhu Open in Bangladesh and tied-10th at the Hero Indian Open. Incidentally, Ajeetesh Sandhu’s second-place finish in Bangladesh is the best of the year for an Indian so far.
“To play around 20 events in Asia requires around `30 lakh per year. With a family to look after (parents and a younger brother, elder sister has got married), shelling out that amount from your own pocket isn’t possible. But I‘ve accepted it. The important part is I’ve secured my Asian Tour card for next year. This means I will be playing in a few events. It didn’t go well today, but I’m happy with the way I’m playing in general,” said the 28-year-old.
Standings
-21: Rory Hei (INA, 64, 68, 67, 68). -19: Rashid Khan (IND, 68, 66, 66, 69), Kim Byung-jun (KOR, 69, 66, 67, 67). -18: Aadil Bedi (IND, 67, 68, 69, 66). -16: Abhijit Chadha (IND, 68, 65, 68, 71), S Kooratanapsian (THA, 70, 72, 63, 67), Aman Raj (IND, 67, 67, 72, 66), K Tannin (66, 72, 68, 66).