Veer Ahlawat is in the midst of a “happy stretch”. He touched his highest OWGR ranking of 402 after his strongest finish on the Asian Tour (T5) at the SMBC Singapore Open last month. This happened on the back of his best season on the Professional Golf Tour of India.
But as every athlete desires, the going could have been better. Not only in terms of results, but in case Veer’s case, it was also about getting into his maiden Major. The 25-year-old came within a whisker of qualifying for the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in July but missed out on account of some aggressive golf towards close on Sunday at the Sentosa Golf Club.
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Two behind the leader at the 17th tee, Veer was unaware that he was well within the cutline of booking an Open berth. Four slots were on offer but Veer thought there were two. Uppermost on the mind was “to catch the leader” and in his bid Veer had a bumpy end to the $1.25 million event which saw him slip a rung or two.
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There were moments when Veer went into deep thought of what could have been, but not for long. “It’s a learning process and every finish helps me for the next event,” he said. Besides, this week of the $5 million Saudi International happens to be the biggest of his career and can in no way be lost reflecting on the past.
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There is a lot to look forward to at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. Fellow pro and best friend Manu Gandas will be on the bag, and that will be a big plus. In fact, Manu, who himself notched a landmark or two by breaking through on PGTI last season, was to caddy for the Singapore swing but tested positive for COVID. Had the two been together at Sentosa, the finish to that week could have been different.
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Of course, it is also about catching up with idol and defending champion Dustin Johnson. “I have always looked up to him, and it will be great to pick his brains should the chance arise.”
Photo Credit: Veer Ahlawat
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