Rodgers relishing Pakistan Open defence

England's Chris Rodgers is looking forward to his defence of the US$300,000 Pakistan Open title next month, saying his maiden victory provided him with a new lease of life.

Rodgers claimed a breakthrough triumph on the Asian Tour at the Karachi Golf Club last January, which came a week after winning the Qualifying School and he said that magical run of form persuaded him to remain on Tour.

"It's a cherished memory that I'll have for all my life," said Rodgers ahead of the 2007 Pakistan Open from January 18-21.

"It was my first major win on a main Tour and the win came at a good time. I was almost ready to quit playing golf. If I had not made it through Tour School the week before, I would have been at a stage where I was in trouble and not doing very well.

"Obviously winning the Qualifying School and then the first event in Pakistan, my life has changed an awful lot. It opened up many doors. It allowed me to concentrate on each event and not worry about making cuts or where I would be playing next. That's a huge weight off in itself."

The road to victory in Pakistan was complete for Rodgers when he fired a 15-under-par 273 total, finishing four shots ahead of Indian duo of Amadeep Johl and Jeev Milkha Singh, the 2006 UBS Order of Merit champion.

With the win, Rodgers gained a two year exemption on the Asian Tour but the young Englishman will not be resting on his laurels as he aims to shoot one better in the upcoming 2007 season.

"It will be the first time that I'm going to defend a title as a professional and it'll be a lot of fun. I have good memories of playing the course. It's a nice place as well and I was quite impressed with the downtown area.

“It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to it. I might feel confident enough when I stand there and remember what I did this year and try to play the course the same way. It would be quite nice if I can better my winning score. That is a good objective.”

Apart from the win, Rodgers also enjoyed a top-three finish at the Philippine Open in May and claimed 10th place at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in October. Rodgers, who moved to Thailand in late 2005, believes that he has broken the mental barrier after his feat in Pakistan which has given him the confidence to strive for more success in Asia.

“You always want to win a second time. You don't want to be known as the guy who won only that one tournament. Of course you want to win more. It opens up the belief in your mind that you can do it and the fact that what you've been doing is the right stuff.

“I've been given the chance to make use of this opportunity of having another two more years and you just have to go out there and make full use of the opportunity.”

The Englishman added that it was more than a stroke of good luck that helped him stay ahead of the chasing pack on the final day in Karachi. Rodgers admitted that his performance that day, highlighted by the miraculous par save on the fourth hole, surprised even himself.

“I remember the fourth hole being a par five and I zig-zagged my way up the hole. Muhammad Munir and Mark Mouland hit it to the edge of the green and I hit my third shot left into the trees. I hit my fourth out of the trees to double the length of their two and then holed my putt from across the green. It must have been 60 feet and Mohammad three putted and Mark missed a short birdie chance.

“I was thinking then that maybe someone was shining on me today. That was an outrageous par. I birdied the 15th which gave me a three shot lead and then I started thinking that I can do this now and win it. That was a cool feeling.”

It was the first time that the Pakistan Open was staged on the Asian Tour in 2006 and it will now celebrate its returns as the second leg of the 2007 Asian Tour calendar. With the upcoming season offering no fewer than a record 29 events with an all-time high of US$26 million in total prize money, Rodgers is confident that the excitement on course will continue to grow.

“I'm glad that we're going to be back to Pakistan next year. It's great for the Asian Tour to develop in new countries. These are countries we haven't tapped into and we're slowly getting there which is great for Asian golf.”

December 22, 2006

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