For Andrew Dodt, the first winner of the Avantha Masters, it is his favourite tournament. The win kickstarted his career and the Australian is hoping to repeat his feat at a new venue from March 14-17.
In fact, Dodt's only European Tour win came at the Avantha Masters in 2010 and he hopes the course at the Jaypee Greens will suit his game.
The first three editions of the tournament had taken place at DLF Golf and Country Club.
“It's obviously a different course this year and I haven’t been out there yet so I don’t know what to expect, but hopefully it suits my game and I can have a good week,” Dodt said.
Dodt just about managed to keep his European Tour card with a gutsy showing at the 2012 Hong Kong Open where he finished tied 37th.
England’s David Howell has been a regular at the tournament. Howell, who once bested Tiger Wood en route to winning the WGC-HSBC Champions in 2006, is back to the country within weeks of playing the inaugural Golf Premier League last month.
Howell has not tasted victory since 2006, though he came close a few times. “I’m really looking forward to it. I've had one week off since playing in South Africa, spent a bit of time with the family and did a bit of practice. I'm in a good run of form, so I come into the week in a confident mood.”
Howell last year was fourth in Open de France, tied fifth at ISPS Handa Perth International and T-12 at Alfred Dunhill. This year, he was tied sixth at Abu Dhabi and tied 10th at Tshwane Open.
Meanwhile, Mithun Perera, who missed out on the opportunity to become the first Sri Lankan to win on the Asian Tour in Myanmar, said he would like to have another shot at glory this week.
“I had a good finish at the Avantha Masters last year and it's really exciting to be back again. There are many good players this week and it'll be great to play against them,” said Mithun.
Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, the most prolific British winner in European Tour history, will make his first appearance at the Avantha Masters. He will be joined by Ryder Cup stars Ignacio Garrido of Spain, Italy’s Edoardo Molinari, Frenchman Thomas Levet and Welshman Philip Price.
Other top contenders include Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, a three-time Tour winner, Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg, Australia’s Scott Hend and Korean-American David Lipsky.
