Report by Anand Datla
September 02, 2015: The European Tour stops in Moscow this week for the Russian Open. India has four players preparing to tee off on Thursday at the Skolkovo Golf Club. SSP Chawrasia, Jyoti Randhawa, Rahil Gangjee and Khalin Joshi will be in action this week, looking to pursue their aspirations for success and sustenance.
The Jack Nicklaus designed course opened only last year, making it an even learning experience for most of the field. The Parkland Golf Course is set for par at 71 with water hazards a factor at six of the eighteen holes. The fairways are wide and generous with the bent grass on the greens measuring at a speed of 11 on Monday. The rough is a combination Meadow Grass and Fescue.
The 12th and 18th play at a longish 561 and 556 yards respectively, but both of these par-5 holes offer birdie opportunities for the players. The weather is expected to be cold and windy with scattered showers through the duration of the event, making it necessary for players to stay disciplined off the tee to avoid any undue damage.
Chawrasia is coming off two missed cuts – at the Made in Denmark and then at the Czech Masters. So he will hope to make amends this week with at least a full weekend’s stay in Moscow. Though he has missed four cuts in his last five starts, Chawrasia can draw some confidence from his showing at the European Masters in July where he finished T24.
Since missing the cut at the Malaysian Open in February, Randhawa has played just three events on the European Tour – twice in February at the Thailand Classic and Indian Open, before his next start at the European Masters. And his results haven’t been that bad – two top twenty finishes in Asia were followed by a T37 in Switzerland.
After a T11 finish at the Mauritius Open in May, Gangjee was back again for the European Masters, where he missed the cut. Both Randhawa and Gangjee will need a good week in Russia considering the paucity of opportunity on their schedules.
Joshi’s up and coming career means, this will be the young man’s first outing on the Tour since a missed cut at the Indian Open in February. This is a good opportunity for the man from Karnataka to showcase his skills on an international platform.
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