Uttam Mundy triumphs in
Surya Nepal Masters golf

Uttam Singh Mundy managed to overcome a shaky stretch in the middle holes before ending his title drought by winning the Rs 950,000 Surya Nepal Masters, which concluded at the par-72 Gokarna Forest Golf Resort course, in Kathmandu, on Saturday.

The Kolkata pro shot two-over 57 for a tournament tally of 10-under 261. The final round was stipulated for 14 holes by the championship committee after early-morning fog delayed start on the first three days. Holes 12 to 15 were not played, making the par for the final round 55 and 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 1,53,900, while Mukesh was richer by Rs 1,06,400. Digvijay and Ashok got Rs 54150 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 favourably for Mundy today, but he battled hard. He made a three-putt bogey on the second, a birdie on the third, a 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 eighth, he tried to hit the greenside hump and get a roll 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 were a lot of negative thoughts in my mind after the first nine holes, but I managed to force them away and played a lot more aggressively. One I made the birdie on the 17th hole, I knew the title was mine," said the Indian Airlines-sponsored Mundy, who won here in 1997.

"It is 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.

Mukesh made birdies on the third, fourth and seventh holes and could have forced a playoff with Mundy had he not missed a tantalizing four-footer birdie putt on the final hole. A bogey-free round gave Mukesh the second place.

"I knew I needed that putt. However, I am happy with the second place as one cannot win everything. This will motivate to play better in the next few tournaments," said the current Money List leader.

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)

Earlier reports:
Mundy upstages Mukesh to take lead
Mukesh Kumar extends lead
Mukesh Kumar makes another good start