Never in the history of golf has a man smiled and cried as much, as did Ghulam Hasan Pandow, on the second day of the Rs 1.8 million Kashmir Open, at the par-72 Royal Springs Golf Course, in Srinagar, on Thursday.
What was proving to be a nightmarish round for the 35-year-old Kashmir pro from the adjacent Kashmir Golf Club, turned into stuff that dreams are made of when he hit a perfect five-iron shot that found the bottom of the cup on the breathtaking par-3 fifth hole.
Pandow's was the first hole-in-one of the 2003-04 season of the Tour and will earn him a sparkling new Passion motorcycle from Hero Honda Motors Ltd., the umbrella sponsors of the Indian PGA Tour. The prize is up for grabs for any professional golfer who hits the first ace in any Tour event.
"I cannot believe it. After the way I played yesterday, I almost forced myself to play today with the sole hope of getting some experience. God has been very kind on me," said Pandow, who aggregated 186 for two rounds and finished rank last in the field of 125 players.
"What else can you say when I will make almost as much money as a player in tenth position!" said Pandow, bursting into tears.
The news spread like wildfire across the course and by the time Pandow walked up to the ninth hole, a goodly crowd had gathered to cheer him. Fellow professionals, club members and caddies hugged Pandow, who just could not stop smiling. Even after submitting his card, he could not remember his score.
"I am so happy that it really doesn't matter how much I scored in the end," said Pandow.
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