Classic Indian Open
Calcutta Golf Club
Calcutta, India
12th - 15th March 1998

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Ali wins on home course by five-shots

Calcutta, India, 15th March 1998 - India's Firoz Ali fired a composed two under par 70 today in the final round of the Omega Tour's US$300,000 Classic Indian Open in Calcutta to win by the comfortable margin of five shots from America's Dean Wilson.

Starting the day with a three shot lead, local favourite Ali carded four birdies and two bogeys for a 14 under par winning aggregate, while Wilson could only return a level par 72 over the Royal Calcutta layout.

Korea's Choi Kyung-ju finished in third place on eight under after carding a one under 71, one shot ahead of compatriot Chung Joon, who finished in joint fourth place with Canada's Rick Todd.

After surviving a nervous start in front the large and wildly enthusiastic galleries, which included a bogey at the par five fourth, Ali displayed great character to retain a one shot lead with a 10 foot putt for par on the sixth. Though he dropped a shot at the very next hole, he made sure of starting the back half with a two shot advantage over Wilson thanks to a fourteen foot birdie on the ninth.

On the back nine, the 26-year-old Calcutta ace really came into his own, holing birdie putts from 12 feet at the 11th, from 15 feet at the 14th, and from four feet at the par five 15th.

"The key moments for me today were my saved par on the sixth and my birdie on the ninth - after playing those holes well I was confident that I could win," said Ali, who collected US$50,010 for the biggest victory of his career.

"In 1992, when I finished third, the winning score was three or four under, but today I finished 14 under par, which I would not have believed possible back then. But I have been watching a lot of golf on TV recently and seen that 16 or even 20 under is normal for a winning score, even on the ladies' tours. So I started to question why I can't shoot those kind of numbers, and this helped me to play with a lot of confidence this week."

The first to make any impression on Ali's lead was Hong Kong-based Scott Rowe, who carded birdies at the first two holes to reduce Ali's advantage to one. But the rookie American failed to maintain the pressure following a double bogey at the seventh, and after a final round 74 dropped back into joint sixth place.

"I was very nervous at the start of the day," added Ali, after being carried shoulder high from the 18th green. "I was playing on my home course and I received about 50 phone calls in the morning from people wishing me good luck. And when Scott (Rowe) made birdies on the first two holes, I really started to feel the pressure.

"But on the back nine I felt very relaxed and when I made a birdie on the 14th to go four up, I knew I was going to win. Everything went according to plan today and it is such a great feeling to have won in front of so many family and friends".

Although Wilson reduced Ali's lead by one shot following two birdies and a solitary bogey in an outward 36, the 26-year-old Hawaiian lost touch on the back nine where he could only manage a level par 36 to Ali's 33.

Third placed Choi, meanwhile, struggled on the front half after carding three bogeys and one birdie, but he came back strongly on the back stretch with three birdies for an inward 33.