A little bit of success builds hope. More success adds to it. A continuation of the process brings things to a point where hopes turn into expectations. Indian golf experienced such a sequence of events of late. Not a force in the global game as in on the US PGA Tour, professionals from the country make their presence visible elsewhere nonetheless. Other than getting noticed occasionally at the Majors, they have been among winners on the Asian Tour and in European Tour events on Asian soil. Tally of the last three years shows 18 titles. Alongside the seasoned SSP Chawrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shiv Kapur, there are new winners Shubhankar Sharma, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Khalin Joshi in this pack.
Expectations were naturally high when they started teeing off in different parts of the world in 2019. But after more than 10 months, there is no title to show for the promise that the year began with. The big guns are silent. Rising stars are struggling to get to the top. After five, seven and six wins in 2016, 2017 and 2018, there have been three second-place finishes this year. Top-10s have dried up. Of nearly 75 events on the combined European and Asian Tour calendars, 15 are to be played. If this means there is time to see how the year of expectations ends, it is running out too.
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Followed mostly by players and caddies other than people with time to kill, golf remains a rising sport in India. Not part of the Olympics from 1904 to 2016, it rarely comes into collective consciousness, even though golfers playing under the national flag won three Asian Games gold and silver medals apiece after the sport’s inclusion in 1982. They started making a mark on the Asian Tour after Ali Sher won the Indian Open in Delhi in 1991 and 1993.
Jeev Milkha Singh recorded India’s first overseas success in 1995. Between then and 2014, Jeev, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa claimed 32 international events between themselves. Atwal’s triumph at the 2010 Wyndham Championship is India’s only one on the PGA Tour and a pinnacle of sorts. This brief history puts in perspective the expectations and explains why there ought to be some. By the time Anirban Lahiri became a regular winner and earned his PGA licence in 2016, Indian golfers knew what to do and how.
There were role models, inspiring tales of sacrifice, good and bad examples. The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) had developed into a breeding ground, preparing young pros for the real grind and offering just about enough prize money to keep them interested. The number of annual international events in India increased from one to three. Players who won in the last few years can thus be called the products of a system. And since there is one that is in place, not winning anything in 2019 yet becomes a question rather than a mere incident.
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It may read odd, but the progress made by Indians is a reason behind titles drying up. By doing well in Asia and boosting their world rankings, they move to higher levels, where chances of finishing top are slimmer. Lahiri has been trying his luck on the PGA Tour for four years, which has mostly been a challenge to retain his place than going for wins. Chawrasia, Bhullar and Sharma — they logged nine titles between them in the last three years — have used those as stepping stones to the European Tour. Other than a tied-seventh for Sharma and a tied-fifth for Bhullar in Kenya, they too have found it tough. At the same time, their absence has weakened the Indian challenge on Asian greens.
“Things in Europe take some time getting used to. Weather, the links courses, changing conditions and a more competitive field are some of those. One has to follow his routine, work on the belief system and learn playing tough shots. It’s about learning quick and having that mindset to seize the moment,” says Jeev, the only Indian to have won on European soil. “You got to understand it’s a fine line. The difference between first and second can be millimetres. Some of our players have come close without being able to finish it. If you are doing that and learning from these situations, you are in with a chance.”
The 48-year-old won the first of his three titles in Europe in his 13th year as professional. Uttam Singh Mundy, a former player himself who runs the PGTI as its director, agrees with Jeev in saying that there is promise in the present crop and it’s a matter of time before the barren spell is broken. “You can say the graph is down this year. That happens. The number of young Indians impressing on the Asian Tour is increasing. That’s the good sign. It’s an ambitious lot, with age on their side. They are aware of the physical and mental requirements. I think they are knocking on the door. I see winners in the making in this lot.”
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This non-attendance of proven performers changing things drastically on the Asian Tour doesn’t speak well of the upcoming lot. Hopes were heightened by the fact that starting from 2016, there came five new winners in Sharma, Sandhu, Viraj Madappa, Joshi and veteran Mukesh Kumar. While Kumar hardly plays outside India and Sharma is chasing his dream in a superior field, to expect the rest to deliver was not unrealistic. The worrying aspect, if any, is the inability of this bunch to pull it off. Sandhu finished second twice.
Rashid Khan did that once other than three more top-10s. Madappa got a solitary top-10 and Joshi none. After reviving his career with two wins last year, Rahil Gangjee couldn’t do better than a tied-10th in Japan. Commendable? Yes. Below-par as well, if that’s the best after a high. Is it a skill-related problem or psychological? Considering the record of these players who won in the recent past, it is evident they have the game. Opinion is divided if this has to do with something else. Refusing to speculate what ails others, Madappa feels he has to get better on the mental front.
He has worked on golf and is reasonably satisfied with it. “In doing so, I overlooked the importance of being mentally tough,” the 21-year-old said a few weeks ago. Sandhu disagrees. “We have won tournaments and finished well on occasions when we didn’t. Lack of mental strength is not an issue. We haven’t had the luck when we came close. It’s one of those bad phases.”
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There is another difficulty that is so well known without anybody being able to provide a remedy that they have stopped talking about it. Golf offers fancy prize cheques alright, but sustaining a career still requires consistent funding. Despite winning titles, Sandhu and Rashid don’t have sponsors to back them. Gangjee didn’t have one when he won two titles last year. Playing 20 events in Asia entails around `30 lakh a year. Players with formal financial backing like Sharma or Madappa can afford to travel. The scope becomes narrower for those who don’t have that support.
“With a family to look after (parents and younger brother), shelling out that amount from your own pocket is not possible. But I’ve accepted it,” says Rashid. Sandhu smiles, when asked about the difficulties of not having a sponsor. Both have secured qualification for Asian Tour 2020 by the weight of their performance this year. If they are low on anything, it’s not mental strength. Analysis of a drought will continue until it ends, the tale of players like these may remain thought for food in Indian golf when the sun sets on the fairways this season.
Men way behind in race to Tokyo
Things are not looking good for men, as far as Olympics is concerned. The top 15 in world rankings as on June 22 next year will automatically qualify, with a maximum of four from one country. 45 more will be eligible based on rankings, with a maximum of two from each country that does not already have two or more in the top 15. There is no Indian man in the 60. Anirban Lahiri and SSP Chawrasia were in 2016, where golf made a comeback after 1904. At 35th in women, Aditi Ashok has a good chance, like last time
Indian Title winners
13- JEEV MILKHA SINGH 4 European Tour (3 in Europe), 5 Asian Tour, 4 Japan Tour
10 -ARJUN ATWAL 1 PGA Tour, 3 European Tour, 5 Asian Tour, 1 Nationwide Tour
10-GAGANJEET BHULLAR 1 European Tour, 8 Asian Tour, 1 European Challenge Tour
9-JYOTI RANDHAWA 1 Japan Tour, 8 Asian Tour 7 ANIRBAN LAHIRI 2 European Tour, 5 Asian Tour
6-SSP CHAWRASIA 4 European Tour, 2 Asian Tour
2- SHUBHANKAR SHARMA 2 European Tour
6-SHIV KAPUR 4 Asian Tour, 2 European Challenge Tour
3-RAHIL GANGJEE 1 Japan Tour, 1 Asian Tour, 1 Asian Development Tour
3-GAURAV GHEI 3 Asian Tour
2-ASIAN TOUR
Ali Sher, Rashid Khan
1-ASIAN TOUR
Khalin Joshi, Viraj Madappa, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Mukesh Kumar, Chiragh Kumar, Digvijay Singh, Himmat Singh Rai, C Muniyappa, Vijay Kumar, Harmeet Kahlon, Feroz Ali Mollah
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR
2-Chikkarangappa
1-Sujjan Singh