Andrew Dodt winner in 2010
For so long, it has always been the case of ‘so near and yet so far’ for talented Australian Andrew Dodt.
Having come close to victory on numerous occasions but only to falter at the last hurdle, Dodt’s desire to lift the inaugural Avantha Masters trophy was indeed understandable.
As an amateur, he was highly rated and in his rookie season on the Asian Tour, Dodt showed his peers what a cool dude he was by producing eye-catching golf thrown in with his laid-back composure.
“I’ve been playing well and if I continue my good form, this could be my week,” said Dodt at the start of the newest Indian event on the Asian Tour.
Two runner-up finishes in Australia and New Zealand prior to the start of the new Asian Tour season put him in a good mood and the Australian made sure he would not play second fiddle again by posting a final round of four-under-par 68 to win the Avantha Masters with a winning total of 14-under-par 274 at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
“To win a professional golf tournament is absolutely huge. I’ve come close a few times and to actually pull it off is a dream come true,” said Dodt, whose rookie season in 2008 also included a runner-up outing at the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters where he lost in a play-off to Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
England’s Richard Finch closed with a 66 while Japan’s Tetsuji Hiratsuka posted a 71 to take a share of fourth place alongside Scotland’s David Drysdale and England’s Barry Lane and Richard Bland on 276.
With as many as seven players starting the final round tied for the lead, the contest at the €1.5 million (approximately US$2.1 million) tri-sanctioned event between the Asian Tour, European Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) was always going to be a keenly fought battle.
However, it was Dodt who eventually prevailed by breaking out of the crowded pack with a closing birdie on the par-five-18th for his career breakthrough which was worth €250,000.
“It was a huge relief when I birdied the 18th. I had a pretty good lie in the rough and I was deciding between which clubs to use. I decided to be more aggressive and hit a pretty good shot but it just didn’t turn,” said Dodt of his second shot which fell into the bunker.
“The bunker was fine as it was kind of a standard bunker shot and I managed to hit a good one out,” added Dodt whose bunker shot fell within two feet of the pin which he tapped in for birdie and the win.
“This has been my third week in a row and I was just hoping for a good week. I stayed patient and did what I had to do and I’m really happy that I won.”
India’s Rahil Gangjee emerged as the local favourite after the country’s marquee names such as Jeev Milkha Singh and Gangjeet Bhullar all failed to make it into the weekend rounds.
Gangjee was clearly at the centre of attention amongst the huge galleries as he entered the final round as the overnight joint-leader. He stayed in title contention for the most part of the last day but eventually ran out of gas.
Three successive bogeys from the 16th hole derailed his chances of ending his six-year title drought. “It was a disappointing round and I look forward to a better week,” said Gangjee.
Leading final round scores
274 - Andrew Dodt (AUS) 67-68-71-68
275 - Richard Finch (ENG) 69-69-71-66
276 - David Drysdale (SCO) 68-67-71-70, Tetsuji Hiratsuka (JPN) 73-62-70-71, Barry Lane (ENG) 67-67-71-71, Richard Bland (ENG) 68-71-66-71
277 - Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE) 68-71-66-72
278 - Jason Knutzon (USA) 70-67-72-69, Steven O'Hara (SCO) 69-73-67-69, Darren Clarke (NIR) 71-66-70-71, Oliver Fisher (ENG) 70-67-71-70, Jeppe Huldahl (DEN) 71-70-66-71, Chan Yih-shin (TPE) 65-68-72-73
279 - Lam Chih Bing (SIN) 67-68-74-70, Rick Kulacz (AUS) 68-67-74-70, Richie Ramsay (SCO) 71-68-70-70, Rahil Gangjee (IND) 67-69-69-74
Note: Article taken from 2010 Asian Tour Year in Review Magazine which is now available with February’s edition of Asian Golf Monthly. It is also available in an E-zine format on www.asiantour.com
