BALWANT HELPS BAGAN HOLD MUMBAI 22
Mumbai FC almost pulled off a spectacular upset before Mohun Bagan rode on a Balwant Singh strike in the dying moments for a thrilling 2-2 draw in an I-league football match on Wednesday.
Mohun Bagan drew the first blood from a Sony Norde corner in the 12th minute when an unmarked Pritam Kotal headed the ball home after being fed by captain Katsumi Yusa from the near post at the Rabindra Sarovar Stadium.
In a stunning turnaround, Mumbai FC scored two goals in two minutes with Khangebam Thoi Singh striking the equaliser in the 20th before Victorino Fernandes handed them the lead.pratesh Shirodkar had a wayward shot from the right as Thoi showed fine reflexes to loop the ball over Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Debjit Majumder to open their account.
Before Mohun Bagan could settle down, Mumbai FC snatched the lead with Reagan Singh setting up Fernandes with a clincial cross inside the box.
The Mohun Bagan centre backs Eduardo Ferreira and Anas Edathodika were once again caught napping leaving a big gap as Fernandes easily went past them and tapped the ball in fortheir lead.
The Mariners’ defensive woes continued as Mumbai almost made it 3-1 at the halfway mark with Fernandes in the thick of action in front of Eduardo and he only managed to loop the ball skywards in front of an open net.
OLD SCHOOL
Despite the fascination for fads, Jeev is firmly old school. The talk about the redesigned DLF Golf & Country Club being a stern test of skill is brushed aside. The sloping fairways and undulating greens have caught his fancy.
“It shouldn’t be about hitting it straight; this isn’t a game of darts. The layout should set the imagination going in a way that the challenges work for you.”
While he strives to stay competitive on the main tour for as long as possible, a new avenue has him excited. Jeev, 45, is looking forward to the senior tour once he’s 50. That’s in no way a lowering of guard but after following Thai Prayad Marksaeng’s run, the opportunity has him excited.
Prayad won his 10th Asian Tour title in Singapore days prior to turning 51 in January, and has already notched up two wins on the senior tour in Japan.
“At 50, one feels like a kid, a 21-year-old starting his pro career,” Jeev said on the “new awakening”. It’s a lot of distance to travel from the US to India for a week. But this week, I am here because of the Hero Indian Open, my national Open which I won in 2015. I want to win it again.
When I fly back to America I won’t be leaving until the middle of July. Hopefully, I’ll get into The Masters. If I don’t, I will look at my schedule and throw open a window on where I work again.
There is a conscious decision to cut down on travel. After 18 months in the US, it’s no longer new to me. On any new tour, it takes time because you’re playing new events. I think I’ve reached the point where the PGA Tour feels like my home tour. I’m not saying that the Asian Tour is not. It will always be primary to me, but it also feels like my home tour when I play a PGA Tour event.
If you can make something that you are uncomfortable with your comfort zone, that’s progress. Like at the PGA National in Palm Beach, Florida, I am a member at the Jack Nicklaus Club, and my home is right there. So I was ‘home’ and sleeping in my own bed, as opposed to a hotel.
As for other things, I am con scious of approaching a few mile stones in my life and career. For instance, it is going to be 10 years since I turned a pro and I am soon going to turn 30. But right now I don’t think there is any time to look back.
Until I’m ready to retire, I won’t look back. I don’t forget, I draw on my experiences. It’s like a cycle. I was a rookie out here in 2008, and I felt like a rookie in America again in 2015.
I have a lot of golf behind me and I look at what I want to do over the next eight to ten years. I intend to play there and be com petitive. I intend to get into more Majors and stay in the top 15. So there is a lot of work to do. But right now it is the Indian Open.