When New Zealander Mark Brown flew into India in end February, little did he know what lay in store for him. Two weeks later, the golfer was a household name in India. This was courtesy Brown's twin wins at the SAIL Open and the Johnnie Walker Classic 2008.

The Johnnie Walker Classic, played at the Arnold Palnmer designed DLF Golf & Country Club was by way of being the biggest ever and most reputed golf tournament to grace Indian shores. That the legendary Tiger Woods had won the tournament twice added further sheen to its reputation. Offering a prize purse of US$2.5 million, the event was sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and PGTI.

Back home, SSP Chowrasia's win at the Indian Masters in early February, had got everyone excited. If an Indian were to triumph at this prestigious event, it would take the sports to a different strata altogether. With the field including the likes of Vijay Singh, Adam Scott, Ian Poulter, Miguel Angel Jiminez, Colin Montgomerie and defending champion Anton Haig to name a handful, India's title candidates namely Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia would indeed have to turn in a spectacular performance to cause an upset.

"It is amazing to have my name there," he said. "I have worked extremely hard for this and it is a dream come true. I played for eight or nine years first time round and I wasn't good enough physically or mentally. I have worked for three years to come back and my coach Mal Tongue has been a tremendous support. The last two weeks have been a blur."

Looking back on his round, Brown admitted it wasn't easy. "I played terrible the front side, I don't think I hit a fairway or green and got to the tenth and said to myself let's have a solid nine holes and the birdies started falling. The rest is a dream."

The dream was almost shattered with his second shot to the last. "It was the worst shot I've hit sine I was 14! Totally out of the heel and so thin I thought it was completely in the water. It couldn't go anywhere else. Luckily I had enough club with six iron and it must have just scrapped over, it was quite a relief after that."

Kiyota, who, had he won, would have become Asia's first winner of the Johnnie Walker Classic, carded a two over on his back nine for a final round 71.

"As the score shows the front nine was great but on the back nine I started to think of victory and lost my pace," he said. "I started thinking I could win on the 12th and made bogey and that just knocked me off my pace. But Mark played great golf over the back nine and I feel he definitely won it."