India Golf Awards a gamechanger

This promises to be an exciting month for golf in India. Some of the country’s top golfers and those on Asian and European Tour will descend into the national capital for the Indian Open and the India Golf Awards. There is excitement as golf promises to soar despite the cricket season. For India these events mark an important milestone in getting the best and the biggest names into the sport in India and to promote the game.

In a month that Tiger Woods plummeted in world rankings to crack out of the top 50 and scored a low of 82 in a round of golf, one sees the axis of power shifting towards Asia for sure. It’s not been an easy comeback for Tiger Woods who returned to playing in early December at the Hero World Challenge, a tournament he also plays host to. I happened to watch him live and interviewed him only to note he realises how quickly Asian ‘Tigers’ are rising. Woods has not finished in the top 20 in any of his last nine events. AP reports prior to this stretch, his career-worst drought without a top-20 finish was four — from the 2010 AT&T National through the 2010 PGA Championship. While Woods may be the world’s top draw and player, gradually the attention will pass its baton to new talent. The excitement of growth and possibilities is palpable and surely the markets here are ripe with some new players, upcoming talent and even vibrant prospects for golf growth.

This spring is going to be spectacular because Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa, who between them have won more than 30 titles on Asian, European, US and Japan Tours, and will be seen in the field of the Indian Open.

The current crop of stars led by Anirban Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shiv Kapur, SSP Chowrasia and the latest super star, 23-year-old Rashid Khan will also be seen in action and will be in full attendance at the India Golf Awards.

Indian golf had a great year in 2014, as Indians won no less than six titles on Asian Tour – the most by any country during the season – in 2014. The 27-year-old Lahiri, now the highest ranked Indian in the world rankings, and Rashid won two titles each in 2014, while Chowrasia and Atwal won once each. Another title came on the Asian Development Tour from the promising youngster S Chikkarangappa. All these players will be vying for the top award for the Best Player in India and additionally hoping to bag the Indian Open title while they are in form.

Talking of current form, the entries from 31 countries across the region and the world, also sees 12 winners, who between them won 15 events on the Asian Tour’s 2014 schedule.

Given how spectacularly well our young and senior golfers are performing, one hopes there will be live interest in the sport and hopefully it won’t get usurped by the cricket mania. We all should agree that it’s now an endless spring, a seamless succession of competitions that promise to give our players more than a few chances to make their mark, grab the headlines and keep golf on the green.