Success at home for youngster as overnight leader Abhishek Jha falters in final round

Abhishek Jha suffered a severe bout of final-round nerves while a tenacious S Chikkarangappa scripted a sensational fightback to emerge champion in the inaugural Take Solutions India Masters here on Saturday.

Leading by a whopping six shots overnight, Jha appeared completely beset by stage fright as he reserved his worst for the last, carding a disastrous three-over 75 to end runner-up in painful fashion in front of his home crowd at the Eagleton Golf Resort.

The crowd, whose loyalties were divided all day with two homegrown boys slugging it out for supremacy in the Asian Development Tour event, had plenty to cheer about as well with Chikkarangappa carding a brilliant five-under 67 to total 270 and score an out-of-nowhere two-shot victory.

“I won my first junior and amateur titles here but I’ve always come short in a pro tournament,” said a delighted Chikkarangappa, watched by his parents, after pocketing $12,250 (approx Rs 7.5 lakh). “To finally get a pro win at your home course is something amazing. I could not sleep until 2.30 in the morning because of the injury I suffered in the third round. But all that pain has vanished with this victory that I’d been dreaming of.”

Although just 21 and six years younger to Jha, Chikkarangappa is miles ahead of his practice partner and friend in terms of top-level experience and that was what proved to be the difference in the end. While Chikkarangappa conjured all his experience in rising to the challenge, Jha, playing as a final-round leader for the first time in four years, was totally overwhelmed by the occasion, his game collapsing amidst the tension he brought upon himself.

Things started to unfold as early as in the third hole itself when Chikkarangappa nailed a 25-footer birdie and Jha three-putted as the lead was cut short to four. That poor putt seemed to have an immediate bearing as Jha found the woods on the par-5 fourth hole, from where he could only bogey at best.

Chikkarangappa then birdied the eighth hole, draining a 10-footer as he turned in just two strokes behind Jha. Both birdied the 10th before Jha dropped a shot again on the 12th, the par-putt agonisingly lipping out. Chikkarangappa brought himself level with Jha on the 15th after pulling off a stunning 35-foot birdie putt.

That scorcher appeared to knock the stuffing out of Jha, who picked up a double bogey on the 16th. He drove the ball next to a banyan tree, hit it to the greenside rough with his second attempt before duffing it on the third. He then chipped way over the pin, two-putting from there as Chikkarangappa, aware the title was just handed over to him on a platter, coolly parred to take a two-shot lead.

Chikkarangappa birdied the penultimate hole and although Jha too matched his friend, it was way too late as the former completed a brilliant win.
“I wish I could play the final round again,” said a disappointed Jha. “I just suffered from final round blues. It’s been a four years, since I played as leader and I just didn’t know how to pace myself. I just did everything wrong. It’s a big lesson for me.”

Leading scores (after 72 holes, Indians unless mentioned): 270: S Chikkarangappa (64, 70, 69, 67); 272: Abhishek Jha (66, 66, 65, 75); 274: Nils Floren (Swe, 71, 62, 74, 67); 275: C Muniyappa (69, 68, 72, 66), Niall Turner (Ire, 67, 70, 70, 68); 276: SSP Chowrasia (74, 68, 69, 65), R Murthy (71, 68, 64, 73); 277: Pijit Petchkasem (Tha, 65, 73, 70, 69); 278: Khalin Joshi (67, 69, 71, 71), Deepinder Singh Kullar (67, 69, 71, 71), M Dharma (67, 71, 69, 71).

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by Sidney Kiran / Bangalore – DHNS, November 02nd, 2014

Chennai :

Injuries are not always career stalling, though it’s an aberration than rule. While many eventually concede to the overwhelming reality that their career would never be revived, some just pick themselves and return recalibrated.

There wouldn’t be a better example in Indian sport than Sachin Tendulkar, who in his career that spanned a remarkable quarter century defied intermittent spells of career-threatening injuries. Joshna Chinappa is no Tendulkar, whichever sporting yardstick you measure them with, but like the master she has turned a career-threatening injury into a springboard to rediscovering herself.

It was in mid 2012 that she sprained her ankle midway through a match. She was stretchered off, and the doctors confirmed her worst nightmare that she wouldn’t be able to play the game she had given her heart, body and soul. An anterior cruciate ligament seemed to have laid her path out of the game.

The World No 21 returned to India heartbroken. “A lot of doctors, even in the US, told me that I won’t be able to play squash again. I couldn’t even think of it. All my dreams, aspiration and hopes seemed over. I didn’t know quite what to do and I used to cry a lot every day. It was the toughest phase of my life,” she said.

But misery, sometimes, has the strange power to embolden you, and Joshna decided to fire-fight the cruel destiny. “I was 26 and I knew it was now or never. If I don’t recover now, I may never play squash again. I didn’t want to regret later in life. So I decided to give one last shot. The knee was operated and the rehabilitation began,” she recounted.

Suddenly, life, despite the screeching pain on her ankle, turned more pleasant. And a chance meeting with former national champion Ritwik Bhattacharya turned her life around. “I was doing my rehab in Mumbai when I bumped into Ritwik and his wife. I told them about my situation. They infused the belief that I could come back stronger. To convince me, they had to counsel, cajole and event taunt me.”

Gradually, life limped back to normalcy. “It took me almost 10 months to get back on to the court. But I didn’t hurry my return. It was like starting the career all over again and gradually my movements became more fluent. The confidence was back. But in the first six months, I kept losing. But I was just happy to be back on the court,” she reflected.

In hindsight, the injury proved career-defining. “Now I feel it’s the best thing to have happened to me. Maybe, it gave me a much-needed break. It made me value my life and career all the more,” she said.

Maybe, it’s this newfound positivity that has revitalised her game. Subsequently, she went on to script history with Dipika Pallikal in the Commonwealth Games, besides the team silver in Asian Games and achieving her career-high ranking of 19 in April.

Joshna’s story can motivate injury-plagued athletes, but it comes with a statutory warning: only for those strong in mind.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport / by Sandeep G. / November 01st, 2014