St. Andrews Shocker: India Defeats Scotland

The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, has had some memorable doings in five centuries of golf, but perhaps none as shocking as India knocking Scotland out of the Dunhill Cup.

Colin Montgomerie, the second-ranked player in the world, was facing Gaurav Ghei, ranked 696th.

And India, which had never played a major international event, was taking on a country with a 500-year golf tradition on its home turf.

There seemed to be no way Scotland could lose. But it never even made it to the last match Friday.

Jeev Milka Singh beat Andrew Coltart on the first hole of a playoff after they tied with 74s.

Then Montgomerie, who led Scotland to the title last year and has topped the European money list for four years in a row, shot a seven-over 79 and went down by one stroke to Ghei.

Raymond Russell shot a 71 and defeated Ali Sher by 13 strokes, but all it gave Scotland was a 2-1 loss.

Scotland, having already lost to Sweden, was finished and India moved on to play Sweden. No one would have predicted this outcome.

The legal bookmakers made India the 1,000-1 last pick in the 16-team field while Scotland was 1-20 to successfully defend its title.

The stunning development completely overshadowed everything else on a day in which the United States ran its record to 2-0 with a 2-1 victory over England and Greg Norman led Australia to a 3-0 victory over Germany.

The U.S. team consists of Phil Mickelson, Mark O’Meara and Steve Stricker.

India must defeat Sweden, 3-0, today to advance because Sweden defeated Nick Price and Zimbabwe, 3-0, and has won twice while India lost to Zimbabwe.

“We are enjoying ourselves and we are going out to do it again tomorrow,” Ghei said. “Anything is possible in golf and, hopefully, we have a chance.”

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David Ogrin used his hometown edge to shoot a seven-under-par 65 for a one-stroke lead over Jay Haas after the second round of the Texas Open at San Antonio.

Ogrin, who lives in nearby Garden Ridge and plays regularly at La Cantera Golf Club, started the day at two-under and moved to nine-under with a round buoyed by two birdie streaks.

Tiger Woods, Bob Tway and John Huston--one of the co-leaders after the first round--were two shots behind.

Woods, who began the day at three-under, started his round with a birdie, but quickly started to slip. He three-putted for a bogey on the par-three third, and four-putted for a double bogey on the par-three sixth.

Redemption came on the back nine. Woods made six birdies, his final one coming on the par-three 17th, when he sank an 18-foot putt.

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Tommy Aaron, Bud Allin and Senior PGA Tour rookie Bob Eastwood all shot five-under-par 67s and shared a one-stroke lead over six others after one round of the Transamerica senior golf championship at Napa, Calif.

Aaron, the only player among the threesome who has won as a senior, had six birdies in his round.

Gil Morgan, who last week became the youngest player to win a senior tour event, had a 74.

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Laura Davies, trying to top the money lists in Europe and America, surged into the lead at the Betsy King LPGA Classic with a seven-under-par 65 in the second round at Kutztown, Pa.

Davies’ two-round total of 134 gave her a one-stroke lead over first-round leader Annika Sorenstam.