Haeggman stays cool in hot conditions and beats host Jeev to inaugural HSBC India Legends Championship title

 

(From L tor R) Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, Kadam Singh – Vice President, Content & Partnerships, Marketing, Wealth & Personal Banking, HSBC India, Golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, host of HSBC India Legends Championship, Joakim Haeggman, winner of HSBC India Legends Championship, Nikhil Singhal – Managing Director & National Manager, Global Private Banking, Wealth & Personal Banking, HSBC India, Dhiraj Jha, Chairman of the Tournament Organizing Committe and Phil Harrison, CEO, Legends Tour. 

Khel Today Bureau

Greater Noida: A call to his son, Felix, who turns 15 next week was the first emotion Joakim Haeggman displayed after his wire-to-wire win at the inaugural HSBC India Legends Championship on Sunday.

Haeggman’s final round at the Jaypee Greens Golf Course was an even par 72 but it had its share of tense moments before he won his second Legends Tour title.

The Swede finished where he had begun the day at 9-under and coasted to a two-shot win over England’s Andrew Marshall (73-71-65), who had the best final round of the day at 7-under 209. Jeev (68-68-76) was tied third with Germany’s Thomas Gogele (74-70-68) at 4-under.

It was a good week for India as behind Jeev’s T-3 was Jyoti Randhawa (68-72-74) in tied ninth place on 2-under 214. Mukesh Kumar was T-15 and Amandeep Johl was T-22.

Jeev was very gracious and said, “I would like to congratulate Joakim Haeggman, whom I call Haggy. I have known him for years. Well done to him, he played beautifully today.”

He also said, “Honestly, as the host of the first Legends Tour tournament in India, I think all the players are very happy and they’re going to take back good memories. I think I’ve done a good job with that.

“I would like to thank all the people on board for making this event happen and to make it a success. I would like to thank HSBC India for coming forward, and all the other sponsors. Especially, thank all the players for  coming down and playing this week.”

He added, “It’s been a really long two and a half days in the heat trying to stay on top and not lose focus. I had one mistake today and that got Jeev and the boys back into the tournament.  I’m really happy that I managed to keep it going.”

Haeggman’s drive on the first hole on Sunday showed some nerves and the resultant bogey brought him level with Jeev. However, over the next four holes, the Swede played superbly with birdies on second, fourth and the fifth to get back into the saddle.

Jeev meanwhile had his struggles with the heat and the weight of expectations and bogeyed three times in the first nine against just one birdie. The overnight lead of one had swelled to five in favour of the Swede, who turned in 2-under and Jeev turned in 2-over.

The door however did open as Haeggman bogeyed 14 and then came a two-shot swing. Haeggman bogeyed the Par-5 15 and Jeev birdied the hole. The gap had suddenly shrunk and the Indian seemed to be back in the frame.

However Haeggman did not falter further and Jeev was unable to get birdies on either 16 or 17 and the gap stayed at two when the duo came to the 18th tee.

On the final hole Haeggman played a steady par, while Jeev went into the water and got on to the green only in five and closed with a two-putt for a triple bogey seven.

Talking of the last few holes, Haeggman said, “In the end, it got really exciting, more exciting than it needed to be. Having had a nice five-shot lead, Andrew Marshall posted a score, I could see that.”

He also said, “My son has been following my progress at 4 am in the morning each day. He was never interested in golf and has only started playing over the last couple of years and is now down to six (handicap). So I am sure he is very happy with this (Trophy).

Haeggman, on his first visit to India, added, “The experience in India has been fantastic. I mean the treatment we’ve had, we stayed in a fantastic hotel, the food’s been great. We have all been really, really happy with everything. It’s been fantastic. And I will be back.”

 

About the Legends Tour:

Formerly known as the European Senior Tour and the Staysure Tour, the Legends Tour is the men’s professional golf tour for members aged 50 and older. Five years after the first edition of The Senior Open, won by Neil Coles in 1987, more than 60 professionals called for a formally structured Tour, which was then created in 1992. Many of the pioneering champions who played on the European Tour during the 1970s, 80s and 90s make up the Legends Tour’s active membership.

In September 2020, Ryan Howsam, Staysure Group CEO, acquired a majority equity share in the Tour in a ground-breaking joint venture with the European Tour, a unique structure whereby an individual has the majority ownership in a professional tour.

Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance and Woosnam are among the winners of the John Jacobs Trophy, which is awarded to the golfer who finishes first on the Legends Tour Order of Merit presented by Rolex each season.

In 2024, the Legends Tour began new ambassador partnerships with former Ryder Cup captains Paul McGinley and Colin Montgomerie along with Major winners Michael Campbell (2005 US Open), Paul Lawrie (1999 Open Championship).

The Legends Tour provides unmatched playing experiences for amateur golfers at its Legends Experience, Championship Pro-Am and Celebrity Pro-Am events. These experiences provide golfers with unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to rub shoulders with and play alongside legends of the game at competitive events hosted at world-class golfing destinations.

About HSBC India

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in India offers a full range of banking and financial services through 26 branches across 14 cities.

HSBC is one of India’s leading financial services groups, with around 42,000 employees in its banking, investment banking and capital markets, asset management, insurance, software development and global resourcing operations in the country. It is a leading custodian in India. The Bank is at the forefront in arranging deals for Indian companies investing overseas and foreign investments into the country.

HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 60 countries and territories. With assets of US$2,975bn at 30 June 2024, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.