In a tournament that has never produced an Asian winner since its inauguration in 1990, Indians would be banking on home advantage to break the jinx at the US$ 2.5 million Johnnie Walker Classic that tees off at the picturesque DLF Golf and Country Club here on Thursday.
The task is, however, easier said than done when one looks at the formidable field which comprises big shots like English Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter, eight-time European number one Scot Colin Montgomerie, last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Liang Wen-chong of China and former world number one Fijian Vijay Singh.
But the Indian line-up is no less stellar with Jyoti Randhawa, who lives just five minutes from the DLF Course, Jeev Milkha Singh, Gaurav Ghei, Indian Masters champion S S P Chowrasia, Shiv Kapur and Arjun Atwal spearheading the challenge.
The other locals in the fray are Ashok Kumar, Rahul Ganpathy, Mukesh Kumar, Harmeet Kahlon, Digvijay Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar, C Muniyappa, Shamim Khan, Vijay Kumar, Arjun Singh and Rahil Gangjee, who was the lucky recipient of a sponsors’ invite for the event being held for the first time in India.
A former Asian Tour number one, Randhawa feels the local stars’ understanding of the 7,156-yard Arnold Palmer Signature course gives them an edge and he would not be surprised to see an Indian walk away with the top honours like it happened at the European Tour’s Indian Masters just a couple of weeks ago.
Sizzling form
Currently ranked 77th, Randhawa is in sizzling form and has had three top-10 finishes so far this season — including a runner-up finish in the Asian Tour’s SAIL Open last weekend in Noida.
In fact, Randhawa came very close to winning the 2004 Johnnie Walker Classic when he finished tied second in Bangkok.
A similar strong run here might propel the local favourite to the world’s top-50 and earn him a start at the year’s first Major, the US Masters in April.
However, the fatigue of playing for seven successive weeks will be hard to beat for the golfer who has already admitted to a few lapses in concentration. “The form is getting better and the swing is getting better. I’m trying to keep the swing a bit more compact but as long as you’re finishing in the top-10, you don’t ask for anything more,” he said.
On the other hand, despite being off-colour so far, Jeev remains a strong contender for the title. The 2006 Asian Tour number one took a week’s break after a disappointing finish in Indonesia, where he bogeyed the last hole to finish second. The seasoned pro would be eager to make amends for the slip-up.
And one cannot ignore Chowrasia either, who did a houdini to stun a formidable field at the Indian Masters to take home the biggest individual prize money for an Indian sportsperson — Rs 1.6 crore — just a couple of weeks ago.
Among the international stars, Australian Adam Scott, a former Johnnie Walker winner, is one of the strongly tipped to take the title. Not to forget the 21-year-old defending champion Anton Haig of South Africa, Fijian Vijay Singh and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
