KATHMANDU: Uttam Singh Mundy managed to overcome a shaky stretch in the middle holes ending his title drought by winning the Rs 15.2 lakh Surya Nepal Masters, which concluded at the par-72 Gokrna Forest Golf Resort Course, today.
The Kolkatta pro shot two-over 57 for a tournament tally of 10 under 261. The final round was stipulated for 14 holes by championship committee after early morning fog delayed start on the first three days. Holes 12 and 15 were not played, making the par for the final round 55 for the tournament 271.
Mukesh Kumar staged a grand comeback but fell short by one stroke as he finished at nine-under 262 following a final-round three-under 52. Digvijay Singh was also at nine-under, but made a three-putt bogey on his final hole to finish joint third along with Ashok Kumar of Delhi, who submitted a two under 53 card on the final day. Mundy received a cheque of Rs. 2,46,240, while Mukesh was richer by Rs 1,70,240. Digvijay and Ashok got Rs 86,640 for their efforts.
Toran Shahi was the best-placed among Nepali pros, finishing tied 11th at four-over 275. Sabin Sapkota was tied 14th at 278, while Deepak Acharya was tied 16th at 280. Tashi Ghale won the amateur title with a score of 289, five strokes better than runner-up CB Bhandari.
The ball never rolled favourbly for Mundy today, but he battled hard. He made a three-putt bogey on the second, a birdie on the third, bogey from a bad lie on the fourth, a bogey on the seventh when his ball collected a lot of mud and his second shot flew way right. On the eight, he tried to hit the greenside hump and get a toll to the green, but the ball got stuck in the rough and he could only get a bogey.
“I knew that I had to make a couple of birdies on the final five holes. There was a lot negative thought in my mind after the first nine holes, but I managed to force them away and played a lot more aggressively. Once I made the birdie on the 17th hole, IO knew the title was mine,” said the Indian Airline-sponsored Mundy, who won here in 1997.
“It was a vindication of my form and the amount of hard work I have put into my game. This is a very satisfying moment for me,” said Mundy, whose last victory on the Hero Honda Golf Tour came way back in 1998-99 season at the Wills Open at Meerut.
Mr. Y.C. Deveshwar the chairman of Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd. gave away the prizes to the winners of the tournament. Also present at the ceremony were Mr. Sanjiv Puri Managing Director, Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. Prem Sachdev President of Gokrna Forest Golf Resort.
Results (68 holes): 261-Uttam Singh Mundy (68,67,69,57); 262-Mukesh Kumar (67,66,77,52); 264-Digvijay Singh (74,67,68,52); Ashok Kumar (75,67,67,53); 264- Feroz Ali (69,69,68,58); 265-Pappan (71,70,70,54); Amritinder Singh (71,68,70,56); 269- Rafiq Ali (69,69,72,59); 270-Rahul Ganapathy (74,68,72,56); 271-Ajay Gupta (70,73,74,54); Amateurs: 289- Tashi Ghale (75,71,81,62); 294-CB Bhandari (75,74,86,59)