Digboi (Assam), Nov 16: Ashok Kumar, playing only in his second year as professional, yesterday won the Servo Masters Golf 2003 title at the Digboi Club Golf Links by five strokes.
Begining the day with a solitary stroke lead, the 21-year-old bogeyed at two holes but that did not stop him from winning at 9-under 279.
Club-mate Pappan who was in the reckoning till the front nine, ended up as the runner-up with a total of 284 while SSP Chowrasia and Sanjay Kumar share the third position with just a stroke behind.
This was Ashok's second career title after he had won the Noida Open last year. He took home the winner's cheque of Rs 1,37,700 while Pappan was richer by Rs 95,200.
SSP Chowrasia raised hopes of a victory, when he birdied the third and fifth to go ahead by one stroke. However he three-putted from the fringe on the seventh for a par while Ashok made a birdie to tie the score.



The match was almost over when Chowrasia, trying to cut across the dog-leg par-5 ninth, lost his ball and ended up with a double bogey to go four strokes behind at the turn. Meanwhile Pappan made two consecutive bogeys on the ninth and tenth to go out of contention.



Ashok Kumar who till then had a hattrick of birdies starting from the seventh, made a bogey on the 10th. However, with consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th, he sealed the issue in his favour with a five-stroke lead.



Chowrasia's agony doubled on the back nine as his hitting became worse. Finding the bushes for most part of the time, he made four bogeys on the 11th, 12th, 14th and 17th while firing a lone birdie on 15th.


Bureau Report