It was the second time in the day that C Muniyappa was stepping on to the crowded, but quiet, 18th green, and one dress rehearsal turned out to be enough to deliver a flawless final performance.

Muniyappa sank a six-foot putt on the first play-off hole of the Indian Open on Sunday, seconds after Lee Sung had missed his longer one, swooped in joy with a fist pump, and for hours after that, the wide smile never left his face.

It had been too late to do much by the time the Bangalore player had looked up the scoreboard at the 18th green in regulation play and found Korea’s Lee level with himself. Lee had birdied the last hole to go 12-under for the tournament, and the Indian, not realising, played a passive last hole for par, taking the two into the playoff. It somehow turned out to be the perfect scenario for Muniyappa.

There, playing without the earlier worry, as he said later, of ensuring a good position, Muniyappa made a birdie to walk away with the big prize. “All through the round, I was just playing to finish high and save my Asian Tour card. When we got into the playoff, all that pressure was off me,” Muniyappa said.

Tough competition

Several times it had seemed Muniyappa’s charge for just his second professional title was in danger of being hijacked. Though the 32-year-old had an overnight one-shot lead, South African Keith Horne had begun with picking up seven shots on his first eight holes, grabbing the lead even before the last group had teed off. He came undone with two double bogeys and two bogeys on the back nine. Kwanchai Tannin and Marcus Both had both threatened, but it was Lee who took a two-shot lead after birdying the 10th hole.

... contd.