CHENNAI: Most of India’s elite athletes have already started training in some shape or form post the first lockdown in March. Even though tournaments are yet to begin, training has begun with an eye on taking part in events overseas. One section of athletes does not have this avenue open to them — most of India’s golfers.
Even though the PGA and European Tours have resumed, barring a few exceptions like Shubhankar Sharma and Anirban Lahiri, India’s golfers do not have the eligibility to play in them.
For the likes of Udhayan Mane and Khalin Joshi, the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the bread and butter. PGTI has been shut since the second week of March. However, good news could be around the corner as India’s premier golfing Tour could be back up and running from November.
“We are in discussion now, hopefully, we will have events from November,” PGTI CEO, Uttam Singh Mundy, told The New Indian Express. “Nothing has been decided yet with respect to where we will play the events or whether players will be required to come to us with Covid-19 negative certificates.”
The timeframe isn’t yet certain — “the situation is still changing on na everyday basis and we will go by the MHA guidelines,” says Mundy — but the CEO is of the opinion that they will decide the protocol by October to give the players ample time to prepare.
If 2019 is anything to go by, there were six events in the last two months including an Asian Tour event in New Delhi. But there is little prospect of any Asian Tour events being held as of now. Speaking to AFP last week, Tour CEO, Cho Minn Thant, said: “We have approached countries with the same protocols that the US, European tours and other sports have employed — testing, players kept in a bio-secure bubble.”
Considering international flights to India is still cancelled at the moment, this event will likely be cancelled if the situation doesn’t improve.
The status of the Asian Tour — where the likes of Mane is eligible to play — itself is unknown. It was supposed to restart in South Korea last week but the pandemic has put paid to that. It’s why Mane is frustrated at the moment. “If PGTI does restart in November, it will be a joyous occasion,” he said. He has spent the last two months training with his coach in Ahmedabad before returning to Pune at the start of the month. He will return to Ahmedabad in a few days.
“I just spent close to 60 days in Ahmedabad and am going back there. The thing is the Pune golf club has had a few coronavirus cases so I think it’s best I go back.”
Another golfer who is looking for the PGTI to restart is Rashid Khan. “Just a bit irritated at the moment because I haven’t played in a while. If it does begin in November, I will jump at the chance to play.”
A few dominoes will have to fall in place for Khan, Mane and others to get back to competitive action. For now, though, they are just happy that PGTI has started discussions.