Golf: Jeev, Jyoti set to renew rivalry at familiar layout for India's first-ever Legends Tour event

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New Delhi, Aug 29: December 28 in 2008 is still etched in the memory of numerous Indian golf fans. The weather gods were happy and provided pristine conditions for professionals at the Jaypee Greens Golf & Country Club in Greater Noida.

Taking advantage of it, three-time Indian Open champion Jyoti Randhawa set the course ablaze with a sensational eight-under 64 to dash the hopes of long-time friend and rival Jeev Milkha Singh and overnight leader Anirban Lahiri to capture the BILT Open title by a solitary stroke.

2008 was one of the most memorable golfing seasons for Jeev, who had clinched two titles on the Japan Golf Tour (Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup and Golf Nippon Series JT Cup) and a title each on the erstwhile European Tour (Bank of Austria Golf Open) and Asian Tour (Barclays Singapore Open), besides an array of top-10 finishes across the global Tours.

He ended as runner-up on two occasions (Ballantines Championship and Indonesia Open) on the Asian Tour, came close to winning the elusive Indian Open (finishing fourth at Delhi Golf Club) and finished Tied 5th at the British Masters. He also registered the then-best-ever finish by an Indian in a Major championship (Tied 9th at the PGA Championship), which was later surpassed by Anirban in 2015 (Tied 5th) at the same Grand Slam.

Jyoti, on the other hand, didn't boast of a similar performance. He only had six top-10 finishes on various tours including a tied second result in the SAIL Open at Jaypee Greens. So, the Rs 80 lakh tournament was billed as a battle between the seasoned professionals.

Anirban was four strokes adrift of Jeev and six shots ahead of Jyoti after the penultimate round of the BILT Open. However, Jyoti had different plans for Sunday. He scorched the par-72 7347-yard layout with his accurate approach shots and precision putts.

Starting at 11-under-par, Jyoti quickly picked up five shots including a birdie hat-trick from second to fourth holes. Jeev too drained three back-to-back birdies from the third to fifth holes but stumbled upon a bogey to bring his overall total to 15-under-par. The Chandigarh pro picked another shot on the 10th but Jyoti knew that his friend was at his heels and also sank one to stay one shot ahead.

Jeev knew that he had to bring his 'A' game to catch Jyoti and sank a birdie on the 15th after four consecutive pars. However, Jyoti soared to victory after a monster 20-foot eagle on the same hole. Jeev birdied the next hole as well and had a seven-foot birdie opportunity to force a playoff on the 18th but the ball fell short of the cup, and Jyoti lifted the BILT Open trophy amid loud cheers from the crowd.

The dynamic duo will be up against each other and carrying the Indian flag in the $500,000 HSBC India Legends Championship, the nation's first-ever golf tournament on the European Legends Tour.

"I feel humbled to be the host of the HSBC India Legends Championship. Legends Tour is for players aged 50 and above. It allows the young players to see that their careers are not over till they say it's over. If you are fit, and keep working hard, you have a second innings after 50 till the age of 70. What a way to lead a life with what you love doing," Jeev said on the sidelines of the curtain raiser press conference.

Jyoti exuded confidence about his game and level of competitiveness when asked how excited he was to play in the event.

"It's a privilege and honour to come and play in the country for a Legends Tour event. There are a lot of fans of me and Jeev who have been following us for 15-20 years back and now they will come and see us play. The game is still there, the competitiveness is still there and the passion is still there. It's a great venue Jaypee Greens and I look forward to playing here," Jyoti said.

The two senior pros ply their trade on the Legends Tour in Europe and will compete in an 81-man field, which comprises 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell of New Zealand, this week apart from 16 amateurs.

While Jyoti has been paired against former Asian Tour No. 1 Keith Horne of South Africa and Clark Dennis of the United States of America, Jeev will be playing alongside Adilson Da Silva of Brazil and a yet-to-be-named amateur. The other Indians in the fray are Asian Tour winner Digvijay Singh, multiple PGTI winner Mukesh Kumar, Vishal Singh, Harmeet Kahlon, 2001 Indian Open champion Vijay Kumar and Sanjay Kumar.

But what might define the outcome of the tournament is how the Jeev-Jyoti rivalry pans out at the Greg Norman layout. Watch out this space for more insights from the world of golf!