Men’s Pro
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Dodt Calm: Aussie Triumphs in india
new;DeLHI,;InDIa;|;The European Tour is as
global as you’re going to get in golf. After three
weeks in the arid Middle East, it shifted to India
where, among other things, it has been known
to rain, golf is poised to boom and the flavor is
decidedly different.
The Avantha Masters is a long way from the
U.S. Masters. This time New Delhi produced a
Friday hailstorm that abruptly halted play late in
the second round. You don’t find that too often at
Augusta National.
Then there were also six players in the field
at the Avantha Masters whose last names were
Singh. None of them were Vijay. And none of them
produced a “victory,” which is what the name
“Vijay” translates to in Sanskrit.
The winner was, in fact, 24-year-old Australian
Andrew Dodt, who birdied the 16th and 18th holes
Sunday for his first European Tour victory. Dodt
began the day one shot back of a seven-pack of
players all tied for the lead at 11 under. His final-
round 68 was good enough to finish 14 under and
nip Englishman Richard Finch by a single shot.
A bogey at the 11th threatened to derail Dodt’s
bid, but he managed to recover over the final three
holes to secure the trophy.
“It was a huge relief when I birdied the 18th,”
said Dodt, who is the European Tour’s newest mem-
ber after taking affiliate membership last week and
now finds himself in the top 10 in the Race to Dubai.
“I had a pretty good lie in the rough but I was in
between clubs,” Dodt said of the 11th. “I decided to
be more aggressive and hit a pretty good shot but it
just didn’t turn. The bunker was fine. It was kind of
a standard bunker shot and I managed to hit a good
one. The week has been awesome. This has been
my third week in a row and I stayed patient today
and did what I had to do. I played really well. I can’t
describe the feeling that I have now.
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Andrew Dodt, the newest member of the European Tour, earned his first pro victory at the Avantha Masters.
Having fired a new course record of 62 on Friday
to move into contention, he, like Lane could only
muster a 71, despite sinking five birdies. A double-
bogey six at the fifth ruined his round.
Fredrik Andersson Hed finished seventh at
11 under while Darren Clarke and Oliver Fisher
finished in a group of six players at 10 under
following rounds of 71 and 70, respectively.
Bland’s third-round 66 was an odd one because of
how entirely unimpressed he was with the outcome.
“I have to say that it felt a bit strange because
there were points when I felt that I wasn’t playing
too well,” he said. “It felt like my playing partners
played better than I did, but I was the one that
made the score. They are probably at home curs-
ing me at the moment, but you have to take the
luck when it comes your way. Sometimes you have
to do it the ugly way. I’m not saying it was a really
ugly day, but usually 66s are a little bit prettier
than that. But I managed to take advantage.”
For his part, Lane could have grabbed the out-
right lead late Saturday but for a frustrating bogey
on the 54th hole.
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