Sujjan Singh: Step up golf support

Feb 20, 2015. As the Hero Indian Open gets underway, golfers talk about the need to promote the sport in a big way and bring in the government to tee it off.

SO FAR AT HERO INDIAN OPEN

New Delhi, February 19, 2015: Three-time Asian Tour winner SSP Chawrasia raised Indian hopes on the opening day of the Hero Indian Open 2015 as he took top honours with a score of six-under-65 along with fellow PGTI member Md Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, Canadian Richard T Lee, Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat and Swede Joakim Lagergren.

Sri Lankan Mithun Perera and Australian Kalem Richardson were placed joint sixth at four-under-67.

Chawrasia, who started from the 10th tee on Thursday, had an error-free round as he picked up a total of six birdies, three before the turn and three after. SSP, who won the last Asian Tour event staged at the Delhi Golf Club, the Panasonic Open India, in November 2014, converted his longest putt of the day, a 15-footer, on the 17th. He also landed it within 10 feet for birdies on the 12th, 18th, first, sixth and eighth.

Chawrasia, who has had an amazing run of top-5s in all his last four starts at the DGC, said, “It feels good to have a bogey-free start to the week. I made some good putts and was hitting it good off the tees. It looked easy but it wasn’t. I think the winning score will be about 20-under.

“I’ve played here many times so I know how to play this course. I have good memories at this venue. I know exactly where to place the ball. Richard (T. Lee) was playing well as well so it was fun to play with him.

KNOW ABOUT SUJJAN SINGH 

Sujjan earned his Asian Tour card at the 2011 Qualifying School where he finished in tied 21st place. He went on to claim a tied fifth place finish at the Avantha Masters on home soil and two top-20s at the Panasonic Open India and Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters which secured his Asian Tour card for 2012. In 2012, Sujjan won the Taman Dayu Championship on the Asian Development Tour but his season came to an end when he sustained a wrist injury. Playing on a medical exemption in 2013, Sujjan’s best result was tied 24th at the season-opening Zaykabar Myanmar Open.

Sujjan started taking the game of golf seriously at the age of 21. Prior to that, he represented his state in football and was a state squash champion. He is married to India’s former number one female golfer, Irina Brar. He is also an accomplished drummer who has recorded more than eight albums in India with fellow golfer Baaz Mann, who is the band’s lead singer. The name of their band is “Driving Irons”.