When it comes to sports, South Africans would be the safest bet to challenge any dominance. And, Thomas Aiken stood true to that as after ending Thai golfers' two days of stay at top in the Avantha Masters on the penultimate day, he held on to clinch the trophy on Sunday.
Having grown up with two elder brothers, competition is surely something that Aiken is always ready for. And, he showed the same spirit over the last two days at Jaypee Greens here.
If it was China's liang Wenchong threatening Aiken's position on Saturday, India's Gaganjeet Bhullar saved his best for the last day and kept breathing down Aiken's neck. The Chandigarh pro, starting tied eighth, stepped on the gas right from the word go, hitting three birdies on the first three holes and an eagle on the fifth. Though he collected four birdies on the back nine, a bogey on the eighth could only make him card an eight-under in the final round on this par 72 course to finish at 268, three strokes behind Aiken.
"I just tried to do what I did yesterday - play one shot at a time. It's too easy to get ahead of yourself and start thinking about the win," said Aiken, who walked away with the winner's purse of $390,000.
With a South African at play, a certain 'choker' tag is always lurking around, but Aiken treaded with caution and turned in another consistent performance, hitting a flawless 67, with the help of five birdies to take his second European Tour title after 2011 Open de Espana win.
"There was no point in playing safe today. But Aiken played really well. I thought he might drop a shot and give me a chance but nothing happened," Bhullar, who topped the Asian Order of Merit with this runner-up finish and took home $260,000, said as much.
Aiken, who once stood at crossroads of choosing between tennis or golf and went the latter way as "the ever-changing scenery of various golf courses" soothed him more, wanted to lift the trophy on Sunday as his wife could not become a part of his 2011 victory. "Yeah, she would love a win! She wasn't there when I won in Spain, so hopefully I can do it for her tomorrow," he had said on the third day, hoping to do it for his wife-cum-physiotherapist Kate, who was indeed a happy image on Sunday.
The 29-year-old golfer from Johannesburg comes from a sporting family. If his father was a provincial-level sprinter, uncle played rugby and mom not only played tennis but taught the kids same at the school. They even have a tennis court in their garden.
Aiken was all of four, when his elder brother (12 years older) taught him how to hold a golf club. Growing up, he tried his hand at various sports, even played as a fast bowler, who could throw it at 125 to 130 kph, for the provincial side, but the destiny seemed to have made a decision much earlier and he made the same later.
Aiken, who is friends with South African cricket heroes like Jonty Rhodes and Shaun Pollock, started the final day here with a three-stroke lead over Wenchong after having hit a fabulous 10-under score to take the Day 3 lead. Except parring the holes, he didn't try anything fancy on Sunday and collected a birdie here and there to see himself through safely with a five-under, totalling 23-under 265.
Wenchong, meanwhile, gave the shot of the day with a hole-in-one on the seventh after double-bogeying the sixth hole. A couple of bogeys and five birdies meant he finished with an overall 18-under 270 at the third spot. Himmat Rai finished as the second best-placed Indian at tied ninth after hitting seven birdies for a bogey-free seven-under.