A return to winning ways

It was a weekend to remember for Indian golf. While three men were playing at a US PGA Tour event this week, it turned out to be the turn of an Indian woman pro to pull off a win. Smriti Mehra or Simi, as she is popularly known, won the $65,000 Hunters Oak Future's Golf Classic.

Her second win of the season, Simi played on the Tour to make a re-entry bid into the Ladies PGA Tour. She told the media that it was her "kismet "" destiny "" to win." With Indian men trying very hard to make a mark on the US PGA Tour, Simi has so far won three times "" in 1996 and twice this year.

The Kolkata pro, who learnt to play at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, moved to the US in the mid-1990s to test her skills in the international pro circuit.

After emerging as the top pro player, Simi found there was little challenge left for her in India and even less so in pro golf. The only pro job she could probably attempt at was coaching, and for someone as temperamental as her, that was hardly the option.

Simi moved to the US and began playing on mini Tours and the Future's Tour. She gradually worked her way to the main LPGA Tour after going through the Qualifying School. She went through up-and-down seasons, alternating between saving her card and losing it.

This year, however, Simi went back to the Future's to win. She is currently 12th on the Future's Tour Money List and a place in top five will get her an LPGA card once again. Even if she misses out on that, Simi knows she has found her game back.

Once counted among the top three longest hitters on the LPGA Tour, Simi is big-built and whacks the ball hard. At the Hunters Oak Classic, she believed in her ability to win against hard-charging rookie Malinda Johnson, who posted a five-under-par 67 in the final round for a 54-hole finish of two-under 214.

The Indian was playing five groups behind Johnson in the final pairing. Even though it became tight at the finish, it was Simi's tournament to lose. And she knew if she did not make big errors and played steady, she would go home with the trophy.

Simi birdied the 13th hole from 25 feet, but couldn't sink in any other birdies to cushion her round. On the last hole, she hit her approach to just over 20 feet, but then came up short for a final birdie. As it turned out, her tap-in par putt was all she needed to secure the win at Hunters Oak Golf Club.

"Winning is phenomenal and winning twice in one year is even better," said Mehra, who played the three rounds at the Hunters Oak in 66-76-71 for a three-under-par performance of 213. The winner's cheque of $9,100 is loose change compared to what is available on the main LPGA Tour. But Simi has a point.

"This is an extremely difficult golf course. Pulling through to win is the same, whether it's at the US Women's Open or on the Future's Tour. It doesn't get old, ever," she said.

Simi had begun with a scorching six-under 66 on first day but then on Saturday, the second day, she slipped down with a four-over 76 on the storm-delayed day. She was forced to return early Sunday morning to play her last hole, which was suspended because of darkness the previous evening.

Instead of losing concentration over her 18th-hole bogey, she came into the final round as the leader.

Malinda Johnson did everything in her power to notch her maiden win in her rookie year itself. She joined the Future's Tour in late May after her final college season at the University of Wisconsin. Hitting as hard as Simi, she made a bold charge. Starting the day at three-over, she was level par after nine.

"It's funny, but I just had a great feeling about today (the final day)," the 22-year-old Johnson told the media. Johnson saw an eagle putt lip out on No. 12 but she still had a birdie, and then, chipped in from 30 feet for another birdie. She had yet another on the 15th, but what probably cost her dearly was the missed four-foot par putt on the 17th.

On the tough 528-yard, par-five 18th hole, Johnson had a birdie chance from 12 feet, but missed to finish second for the third time in 11 tournaments this year.

Simi admitted that she stared at Malinda Johnson's three-under-par front nine a little too long when she passed the leader board after nine holes. Mehra birdied holes 7 and 9, but saw the big board and promptly bogeyed holes 10 and 11.

She said, "I watched the leader board at the turn and I thought, "'Wow, that's a great round!'" said Mehra. "I lost my focus for two holes, but then I got back to my game plan."

The veteran's game plan had several goals. "I knew I could always take out my driver if I needed it, but this is not a golf course for that," she said. "It's like threading a needle out there."

The Hunters Oak is a tricky, links-style course where blind shots keep the players guessing all the time. And ultimately, Simi's experience helped.

"Knowing and trusting your yardage is the key here," she added. "There is no bail out. You have to hit it with confidence." And she had plenty of that at the Hunter's Oak Club.