The Hindu : Aussies look to extend their lease on Asia Pacific crown

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003

Sport

Sport - Golf

Aussies look to extend their lease on Asia Pacific crown

BANGALORE Oct. 21. Alex Cleave of Australia, runner-up in the last edition of the Asia Pacific seniors golf championship, summed it up succinctly, saying: "we are here for the camaraderie as well as the competition.''

And to show how serious the competition was he said that the Australian team, winner of the event for the past four years, was looking to extend its domination.

Cleave and his team have been practicing at the compact Bangalore Golf Course here since Oct. 17. The Asia Pacific Seniors tournament is divided into four age groups. Players are classified in the ages 54+, 60 +, 65+ and 70+.

Apart from the Asia Pacific tournament, an international event also gets underway simultaneously with a two-member team from the United Kingdom giving it an international flavour.

The other teams are Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. Incidentally, next year's Asia Pacific tournament will be hosted by Singapore and China will do so the following year.

India does not have a good record in the Asia Pacific seniors' event. However, the team of Vikramjit Singh and Ashok Malik have won amateur titles five times, a National record. The duo would be hoping to put India on the winner's list this year.

A consistent downpour in the city has made the course a tough one to negotiate. With the roughs up and the greens tricky, below par scores could be difficult to achieve.

The tournament was formally inaugurated on Tuesday evening with the flag hoisting of the countries participating. The event, which will be played over 54 holes, concludes on Oct. 24.

— Our Special Correspondent

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