Indian Golf’s 2014 highs

A new bloom in Indian golf – Special Feature by Anand Datla as 2014 comes to a close

Golf is coming of age in the country and Indians are no longer forced to look across oceans for their regular fix. The past season has seen a string of successes for our golfers – young and old, heralding a fresh spring of hope for fans across the country. The PGTI has enjoyed one of its best seasons ever and our stars have shined bright on the Asian Tour.

In fact the Diwali period of late October and early November brought an unprecedented amount of success for Indian golfers. Beginning with Anirban Lahiri’s victory at the Macau Open, there was a deluge of success that left us drenched in joy.

SSP Chowrasia clinched the Panasonic Open and Rashid Khan made it three in a row when he won the Chiangmai Classic from a sterling field of accomplished golfers. S Chikkarangappa placed the cherry on top with a statement of his own, taking the ADT Take Solutions Open.

It was a passage through the end of the season that underlined the growing prominence of our golfers both in India and overseas. Arjun Atwal made it a signature ending for Indian golf with a memorable last gasp victory at the Dubai Open last week, fighting off a stiff challenge on the final stretch.

Atwal ended a four year drought in emphatic style with his victory at the Dubai, signing off with a fluent 66 in the final round. Another golfer who came close to ending his dry spell was Jyoti Randhawa. He hasn’t won an Asian Tour title since 2009, but came ever so close when he finished second at the Chiangmai Classic.

Between senior pros who are catching a second wind and a growing bunch of professionals willing to stretch the envelope for golf in India are a group of young men who are building up impressive bodies of work in the PGTI events in India.

Golfers like Chikkarangappa, Shubhankar Sharma, Om Prakash Chouhan and the like are getting better by the season and the day cannot be far when these men pursue dreams around the Asian and European Tours.

Adding depth to India’s golf circuit are amateurs such as Trishul Chinnappa who are showing great talent and maturity as they carry the future hopes of a nation in a game that is growing at a constant pace.

The current generation of golfers are happy to carry forth the legacy of men such as Jeev Milkha Singh and Atwal, perhaps even take it further than it has ever been.