World eyes India for golf growth in 2015

 Special Report

It is a very exciting time for golf in India. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the country as the economy picks up, new tournaments are launched and the India Golf Awards added to the calendar. More people will be following and playing golf than ever before.

The entire golfing community across the world has its eyes on Asia for the next Tiger Woods. And it would not be a long shot to say that there are chances that he could emerge from India.

Indian golf also had a good year in 2014, as Indians won six titles on the Asian Tour – the most by any country during the season. The 27-year-old Anirban Lahiri, now the highest ranked Indian in the world and Rashid Khan won two titles each in 2014. Shiv Chowrasia and Arjun Atwal won one 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 at the India Golf Awards to be held in New Delhi on February 16, and additionally hoping to bag the Indian Open title while they are in top form.

The India Golf Award is the only award ceremony in the field of golf in the country and all the players – both young and old – are looking forward to it. The awards seek to felicitate the contribution of legends, pros, celebrities and CEOs to the sport of golf.

Apart from the addition of the awards to the golfing scene, there has also been a rise in the number of tournaments held across the country. Currently there are five major tournaments and the European Tour has just added a new “Asian swing” to its 2015 schedule with events in India, Malaysia and Thailand.

In the last couple of years it has also been noted that golf has stagnated in America and Europe, while India and China are being hailed as the fastest growing countries for the sport. In fact, Scottish golf legend Colin Montgomerie, who was in New Delhi, in September 2014, minced no words in saying that the future of the sport lies in Asia.

Montgomerie said, “China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, India have all come up well. I see India going to Korea to compete in the Asian Games and I wish them all the success. And it would be great to see an Indian champion, a real world champion.”

Arnold Palmer, who is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s professional golf, too said in an exclusive interview that he feels that the next few years will see the rise of Indian and Chinese golfers in a big way. In fact, The King as Palmer is commonly known, is building a modern golf course in India after having done so in China.

Meanwhile, Jeev Milkha Singh, arguably the pioneer of Indian golf, becoming the first player from India to qualify for The European Tour, has said, “Golf is the fastest growing sport in our country and I think in the future we’re going to have a lot more tournaments and the prize fund is going to increase too. Young kids have an opportunity to come and watch professionals, and when they see their standard of play, they know what they need to work on.”

As more youngsters like Rashid Khan and Chikkarangappa, who have taken golf by storm after rising from humble beginnings, become icons and win big on the European and PGA tours, the game will only grow.