Ashok Kumar wins title

MEWAT (HARYANA): The winning putt takes a toll on the mind and body, so Ashok Kumar would have us believe that’s the reason he spaces out his wins. For the second year, it’s come towards the end of the season.

“I need a year to conserve energy before winning again.” It was in jest but deep down it’s the desire to get back to where he belongs that’s fuelled the spurt in form. After 2010, a watershed year, Ashok stayed winless for five years till the CG Open late last year.

The 33-year-old was candid. “I wasn’t practicing enough.” Then, the mind also played tricks. Work is on and there were glimpses here as he held nerve to prevail on the second playoff hole against Ajeetesh Sandhu.

The PGTI Masters goes down as Ashok’s 13th win on the Professional Golf Tour of India, placing him second in the all-time list behind Mukesh Kumar’s 17.