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Randhawa qualifies for British Open

Jyoti Randhawa became only the second Indian to qualify for the British open when he set the Scotscraig Golf Course, in St Andrews (Scotland) on fire with a scintillating round of four under par 67 on the last day of the sectional qualifiers to attain his lifelong ambition.

However four other Indians in the fray -- Gaurav Ghei, Amandeep Johl, Arjun Atwal and Indrajit Bhalotia -- failed to qualify. Ghei was the first Indian to make it to the main round of the British Open in 1997.

The 28-year-old Delhi-based professional, who had carded three under 68 in the first round, achieved his dream with a superb display after overcoming a near disastrous start with two bogeys in his first four holes. He recovered brilliantly with four birdies and an eagle three to finish the two-day qualifying on seven under par 135.

Randhawa, winner of Indian Open this year, was placed fourth in the company of Scotland's Sam Torrance, the 2001 Ryder Cup captain for Europe.

''Reaching my first Major is a big step for my carrer and it feels really good. This is what professional golfers prepare so hard for, and it is good that all the work has paid off," said a visibly overjoyed Randhawa.

Randhawa almost missed the boat with a shaky start. A poor opening drive landed in thick rough, and he barely got the ball out with the second shot. At the fourth hole, he three-putted from 15 feet but did not lose his sight of an Open berth.

''It was a really rocky start, but I did not panic. I managed to birdie the seventh and ninth to get back to even par with some solid putts. The birdie at the seventh was from 20 feet and then I two-putted the par five ninth for another birdie'' Randhawa said.

''My best shot of the day was a six iron to a foot at the par five 16th for the eagle. After the poor start, I played aggressively and put together a good score. There is no point holding back when you are in a two-day shoot out for a place in the British Open'' said the India champion.

With a seven under par total in the clubhouse, the Indian had to wait anxiously as more than half the field was still on the course.

''I tried to sleep at the hotel but I was thinking about my position all the time. I phoned the course to ask what spot I was in and they told me I was okay, but someone had come in with a 131 and that worried me. So I went back to see if I would have to compete in a playoff. But luckily, I did not have to',' said Randhawa, who played at St.Andrews six times during the Alfred Dunhill Cup last year.

However luck did not favour the other Indians who were part of the ''Asian Invasion.''

Delhi's Gaurav Ghei, the 1997 qualifier at Royal Troon, struggled in the windy conditions at Ludin as he posted a one over par 72 for a total of 142, five strokes outside the play off group of eight players who battled for the last slot and the right to be the first alternate for the Millennium Open.

Chandigarh-based professional Amandeep Johl carded his second straight even par 71, while Calcutta's Arjun Atwal improved his opening 73 by three shots. But both were well off the qualifying mark. Calcutta's Indrajit Bhalotia struggled to a 76 at Ladybank after hitting 75 on Sunday.

Ghei was disappointed not to join Randhawa in the British Open. ''I played really well from tee to green but it did not quite happen for me. It is really disappointing because I missed a lot of opportunities.''

''Jyoti will do well at St.Andrews because he has played there before. He will know exactly what to do,'' said Ghei, famous for pulling off an upset win over Scotland's Colin Montgomerie at the 1996 Alfred Dunhill Cup at St.Andrews.

In what is the fourth Asian Invasion of the British Open, the Asian PGA achieved further success when Taiwan's Yeh Wei-tze and Simon Dyson of England also qualified for St. Andrews.

Yeh, winner of the Malaysian Open and the current leader of the Order of Merit, shot a 65 to add to his opening 67 to earn his Open ticket at Leven Links while Dyson, back-to-back winner of the Macau Open and Volvo China Open, shot a course record 62 at Scotscraig to qualify on 133.

Interestingly, Yeh, Dyson and Randhawa are the top three players on the money list respectively, and will join Kyi Hla Han of Myanmar at St. Andrews this week. Han is exempted following his triumph in the 1999 Asian PGA Order of Merit.

Dyson, a 22-year-old rookie who won back-to-back titles at the Macau Open and Volvo China Open in May, set a new course record of nine-under-par 62 at Scotscraig as his season keeps getting better and better.

Dyson, who finished second on 133 behind Jamie Spence, had nine birdies, including five on the trot from the first hole and needed only 23 putts. ''I did not think my season could get any better after winning the Macau Open and Volvo China Open but it just has. You cannot get much better than breaking the course record to make it into the best tournament in the world,'' he said.