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Gurgaon, India, March 2
:New Zealand’s Mark
Brown produced a stunning final nine holes to claim a
dream victory in the Johnnie Walker Classic and a second
title in a week.
Five birdies on the back nine stunned the elite field at
DLF Golf and Country Club as he romped home in 31 for a
five-under-par 67 and 18-under-par total of 270 to secure
a three-stroke victory over the Australian pair of Greg
Chalmers and Scott Strange and Japan’s Taichiro Kiyota.
Seven days earlier, Brown won his maiden title on the
Asian Tour when he captured the SAIL Open and he made it
back-to-back titles in India with a breathtaking display
over the closing stages in the US$2.5 million event
sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour, PGA Tour of
Australasia and PGTI.
Brown trailed overnight leader Kiyota by four strokes
coming into the final nine holes but he turned on the gas
with a burst of four successive birdies from the 12th as
Kiyota, who looked totally in control in picking up three
birdies on the front nine, started to fade. Brown’s surge
edged him in front and when Kiyota three putted the 17th
Brown had the luxury of a two-stroke cushion playing the
final hole.
The drama was not over though as, after an ideal drive, he
completely mishit his second shot which looked destined to
be heading to the water guarding the front of the green.
But the golfing gods were smiling on him and somehow it
carried to the edge of the green from where he safely two
putted for a final birdie to put the icing on the cake.
It was a dream come true for a player who became so
disillusioned that he gave up the game for three years,
turning his back on tournament golf to take up a teaching
role in New Zealand. But after working with coach Mal
Tongue he returned with added vigour and the rewards are
immense.
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Victory was worth US$409,743 and lifted him to the top of the Asian
Tour’s Order of Merit. His victory meant he joined great names
including Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Ernie Els as
champion of the Johnnie Walker Classic.
“It is amazing to have my name there,” he said. “I have worked
extremely hard for this and it is a dream come true. I played for
eight or nine years first time round and I wasn’t good enough
physically or mentally. I have worked for three years to come back
and my coach Mal Tongue has been a tremendous support. The last two
weeks have been a blur.”
Looking back on his round, Brown admitted it wasn’t easy. “I played
terrible the front side, I don’t think I hit a fairway or green and
got to the tenth and said to myself let’s have a solid nine holes
and the birdies started falling. The rest is a dream.”
The dream was almost shattered with his second shot to the last. “It
was the worst shot I’ve hit sine I was 14! Totally out of the heel
and so thin I thought it was completely in the water. It couldn’t go
anywhere else. Luckily I had enough club with six iron and it must
have just scrapped over, it was quite a relief after that.”
For Kiyota, who was bidding to become Asia’s first winner of the
Johnnie Walker Classic, there was obvious disappointment with his
two over par back nine for a final round of 71, and he confessed his
lost his rhythm the moment he started to think he could win. A bogey
followed and the momentum was gone.
“As the score shows the front nine was great but on the back nine I
started to think of victory and lost my pace,” he said. “I started
thinking I could win on the 12th and made bogey and that just
knocked me off my pace. But Mark played great golf over the back
nine and I feel he definitely won it.”
Strange also charged into contention with a hat-trick of birdies on
the back nine to move into a three-way tie for the lead before Brown
edged one ahead with his birdie on the 16th. Playing the last,
Strange felt he needed to birdie but he pushed his drive into the
fairway bunker and found a terrible lie under the lip. His recovery
hit a tree and third overshot the green. His chance was gone and a
chip and two putts later he signed for a 71 and 15 under par total.
“It was a disappointing finish but I would have taken it at the
start of the week,” said Strange, a two-time Asian Tour winner. “I
played well, the best I have played this year and I am looking
forward to the rest of the year now.”
Shiv Kapur finished the week as the leading Indian after a round of
68 left him in a share of fifth place on 274 alongside Sweden’s
Johan Edfors, who shot a best of the day 65, and England’s Graeme
Storm (69).
Leading final round scores
270 - Mark Brown (NZL) 71-68-64-67
273 - Taichiro Kiyota (JPN) 68-67-67-71, Greg Chalmers (AUS)
68-69-68-68, Scott Strange (AUS) 71-67-68-67
274 - Graeme Storm (ENG) 70-66-69-69, Shiv Kapur (IND) 69-65-72-68,
Johan Edfors (SWE) 71-69-69-65
275 - Jyoti Randhawa (IND) 70-65-68-72
276 - Daniel Vancsik (ARG) 67-71-68-70, Prayad Marksaeng (THA)
74-65-70-67
277 - Jeev Milkha Singh (IND) 68-70-70-69, Scott Barr (AUS)
71-70-67-69, Jose Manuel Lara (ESP) 69-67-73-68
278 - Lin Wen-tang (TPE) 70-67-72-69, Soren Hansen (DEN)
69-69-71-69, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 71-68-71-68
279 - Phillip Archer (ENG) 72-64-69-74, Vijay Singh (FIJ)
70-68-69-72, Tony Carolan (AUS) 71-69-68-71, Scott Laycock (AUS)
72-68-68-71, Arjun Atwal (IND) 69-72-67-71, Kane Webber (AUS)
73-69-66-71, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 71-70-68-70, Mark Foster (ENG)
68-74-67-70
For further information, please contact the Asian Tour’s Chuah Choo
Chiang at the Johnnie Walker Classic Media Centre
Tel: +91 124 734810. Also visit
www.asiantour.com
for live scoring.
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