CHENNAI: It’s all quiet on the fairway! After a few fruitful years, 2019 is turning out to be a bad one for Indian golf. The number of titles won by Indians on the European and Asian Tours in the last three years was 16 — five in 2016 and 2018, and six in 2017. With more than half the season gone this time, they are yet to win anything.
Indians have also failed to post good finishes. Barring Ajitesh Sandhu coming second at an Asian Tour event in Bangladesh, they have hardly registered a top-10 finish. This is showing in their world rankings. Other than Rashid Khan and S Chikkarangappa, all top Indian pros have been quiet. Starting the year at 116, Shubhankar Sharma has slipped to 200. Anirban Lahiri has gone to 304 from 148. At 199, Gaganjeet Bhullar is the best-ranked Indian. He too has dropped down, from 144.
The lone Indian regular in the PGA Tour, Lahiri is still trying to find his feet at the highest level. In 18 tournaments this year, he has missed the cut eight times, with a best of tied 30th. After his sensational rise last year, Shubhankar has found the going tough in Europe, missing the cut in five of his 15 starts. A tied 27th, at Indian Open, has been his best so far. Testing waters in foreign shores and unable to cope with is a common strand among all these narratives. Those are tougher fields than what one gets in India. But this is applicable to the likes of Viraj Madappa, who are new there. Bhullar, SSP Chawrasia, Rahil Gangjee have spent time on those courses.
Among the winners in the last few years, they are not unaccustomed to the challenges. Even their returns have been disappointing.
“You can say it’s one of those rare years when nobody is doing well. In my case, I feel the rhythm is missing. Can’t say that pressure, different conditions are problems because I have played enough in Europe to get used to those. One reason is we are all trying to make it to the next level and working on changes in our game. Maybe those are not coming off. Also possible that a turnaround is just one tournament away,” said Chawrasia, winner of three titles in 2016 and 17, whose ranking has dropped to 954 from 570.
The two Indians who moved up the rankings this year — Rashid and Chikkarangappa — have benefited from their performance on the Professional Golf Tour of India, which has started awarding world ranking points this year. Those playing abroad have not made progress.
“I was conservative in my approach in the first half of the year,” said Madappa, winner of an Asian Tour title last year, who has seen his ranking drop from 321 to 486.
“Gradually, that aggression is coming back. Possibly I ignored the mental part, thinking too much about my game. Things are falling in place. I have to keep grafting.”