JOIN USIt has been a great phase in my career. Two wins in a month and some great finishes this season. Frankly, I’ve been playing some of my best golf so far. In between there were times – after the first two wins on Asian Tour – that I was coming close but not being able to seal the title. The second and third place finishes were piling up, but with the wins in Chinese Taipei and now Macau have given me a fresh boost.
This is a tournament that I see as ‘Must-Win’ in my list of things I want to achieve in my career. This is the National Open and the biggest event for us Indian golfers. The kind of players who have won this include Major winners and some of the biggest players in Indian golf.
It is a dream for every Indian player to play and win this tournament. I am one of the few Indian golfers to wear the Hero logo this week as well so it will be nice to win this one.
Currently my game is in good shape and I am also putting well. That was an area of concern for me, but I have ironed out some technical mistakes in my posture and things are looking fine now. That could be one of the reasons behind my two victories.
Last year was a bit unfortunate one for me. I played the pro-am but wasn’t in condition to play four rounds of golf, so I decided to withdraw. But this year things are different.
I was quite surprised when I heard the event would move to Bangalore. It was interesting. Trust me, I’m not the only one who was excited with the move. Everybody is enjoying the food and the golf course. This is a very different experience for everybody this week. There are a lot of hopes on Himmat Rai, Lahiri and myself. But there are many others, including the highly experienced Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur and some new faces, too. Obviously the game is in good shape in India and I feel the next generation is ready to take over.
The field is quite strong and has fine players like Peter Hanson and Richie Ramsay, who have won on European Tour and there is Thaworn Wiratchant, always a dangerous player in any condition.
Personally, I never thought of winning at the Yeangder TPC (Chinese Taipei) or in Macau. I just told myself to give it 100 percent and I won those events. I have never thought of winning a tournament before it starts. So, I am not going to do that here, too. I will do my best and the rest can take care of itself.