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ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES
GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES
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Randhawa in top gear for Malaysia
 India's
Jyoti Randhawa, the 2002 Asian Tour number one, warmed up for this
week's Maybank Malaysian Open through the most unconventional of
methods – by riding his superbike and shooting trap
The talented Randhawa enjoyed a week's break in New Delhi after
an impressive run of form in the Middle East last month and will
be gunning for victory in the US$1.25 million championship, jointly
sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour, at Kuala Lumpur
Golf and Country Club. The event starts on Thursday.
"I'm feeling charged up and ready to go," said Randhawa,
a five-time winner on the Asian Tour. "I'm happy with the way
I'm playing and hopefully it will carry on. Any week will be good
to win (on the European Tour), the sooner the better."
An established star in Asia, Randhawa is playing in his first full
season in Europe and got his year off to a flying start with a sixth
place finish in Abu Dhabi. He bruised his ribs after falling off
a four-wheel bike during a safari and was forced to withdraw from
the final round of the Qatar Masters. But at the Dubai Desert Classic,
Randhawa bounced back with a creditable tied 13th finish, performances
which reinforced his confidence in winning a European Tour-sanctioned
event.
Despite his recent mishap, Randhawa – who missed three months
of the 2002 season after breaking his collarbone in a motorbike
accident – said that he enjoyed his time away from the golf
course last week, ripping his superbike down the streets of Delhi
and at the shooting range.
"I drove my bike and did some trap shooting last week. That
was my time off. I had some practice two days before coming out
here and did some putting and chipping. My ribs still hurt a bit
but it's getting better.
"I enjoy the place (Malaysia) especially the environment.
There are a lot of Indians here and I always get good support playing
in Malaysian events. I'm hitting the ball a lot better and have
started to score a lot better as well. I'm feeling much more confident
with my game this year," said Randhawa, who won the Volvo Masters
of Asia in Kuala Lumpur two years ago.
Malaysia's hope for a first local winner in the Malaysian Open
has a new flagbearer in the form of Iain Steel, who is of Scottish-Malaysian
parentage. The 34-year-old Steel has played previously on the US
PGA Tour and won on the secondary circuit in America before switching
his attention to Asia this season.
He is looking forward to his Maybank Malaysian Open debut. "As
you know, I've been incognito for the last 10 years. It's an honour.
I'm very excited coming out here to play," said Steel, who
made between 20 to 30 phone calls to sponsors and officials in his
attempt to get a start this week.
After failing to play his way through the US qualifying school,
Steele finished fourth in the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January
to earn his Tour card and immediately made his mark with a fourth
place outing in the Pakistan Open. Last week, he triumphed in the
Malaysian PGA Championship, a domestic event.
"Last week was almost a warm-up. I wasn't expecting to get
a sponsor's invite into this week. Then all of the sudden I got
an invite to play. I'm very grateful. I've tried to get in touch
with everybody to try to get me in here. And finally it worked …
enough calling, enough griping!
"This is my first Malaysian Open and I'm looking forward to
it. I feel like a rookie, I feel rejuvenated. A few people don't
know me out here but I hope it changes through time and through
my golf. Hopefully people will look up to me for my golf as well,"
said Steele.
The closest a Malaysian has come to winning the national Open was
in 1994 when P. Gunasegaran lost to Swede Joakim Haeggman after
a marathon eight hole play-off.
February 14, 2006
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