Rahil Gangjee, Chiragh Kumar & Mithun Perera on Panasonic Open

Rahil Gangjee (India)

It is a good thing to see so many young players winning now. In the past, golf was seen as an old men’s game. It is absolutely changing now because you see younger players winning and that’s because more corporate companies are sponsoring golf tournaments and that appeals to the younger generation. We are not complaining but the older guys would love to win too!

The older guys like myself still have chances to win because we have the experience. The youngsters are coming in and taking the cake more than we are and the challenge is getting tighter. If you look at the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event last week, Chikka S (eventual winner) and Shubhankar Sharma, who were in the play-off are aged 22 and 19!

I played this golf course so many times. There is no fixed formula to win. My main formula is to hit the ball good. If I hit it well then I’m always in contention here. I did that good last year and I led for all four days.

It was a chance for me to win last year after many years. I did a really good job but it didn’t work out my way. I think I brought less energy to the play-off as compared to S.S.P. Chawrasia. All credit to him because he is a great player. It took me a few months to recover from that defeat and realign my thoughts.

Chiragh Kumar (India)

I got badly injured in 2012. I played in a few events but I wasn’t able to play my best. I got my card back in 2013 because I was fit again. I played consistently most of last year but lost my card again. It hasn’t been all that bad but I haven’t had a high finish until Macao which has given me a lot of confidence.

I hurt my right ankle in 2012. I couldn’t go to the gym or play much. It actually started at the 2012 Panasonic Open India. I had to withdraw from the first round and it was a tough year for me.

Having a good result gives you a lot of confidence but what’s more important is that I contended against Scott Hend and Anirban Lahiri! I was able to keep up with them and that gives me a lot of confidence and makes me believe that I can be out there and play against them.

I know this course well and if I can stick to my routine and process then I should be okay. I won’t complain about Macao. I played well enough but Scott Hend played better and he deserved to win. To be honest, I won’t complain if I had a week like that every week!

Mithun Perera (Sri Lanka)

I’ve been trying to be fit (laughs). I lost five kilograms. I’ve been doing a lot of cardio and I learnt how to swim! I exercised a lot and diet during the summer months but after I lost weight, I felt uncomfortable with my swing!

I struggled with my swing after that so I’ve been eating a lot of McDonald’s to put on weight. I gained one more kilogram and now I feel more comfortable with my swing. I’ve been told before that you can lose so much weight but I didn’t believe them. Now after my bad experience, I will only try to lose weight gradually.

I need a bit more luck because I’ve played well in some Asian Tour events this year. I think if every part of my game comes together then the tsunami of victories will come. I think my first win will come at the Delhi course.