Four months back he was a promising young player on the Indian circuit, looking to make a name for himself on foreign shores. Today, when he returns to the Asian Tour, he comes with "Major experience" under his belt and a few titles to boot. But for 21-year-old Gaganjeet Bhullar, the story could have been very different had someone told Juvic Pagunsun that birdie-eagle finishes are not supposed to win you tournaments. Unfortunately, no one did, and it left Gaganjeet waiting for nearly two years for his first professional win, and it came in the form of three on the trot on the domestic tour. So, at the Indonesia President's Invitational right now, he can be excused for going around the course with a great degree of confidence. Whether it reflects in his scoring remains to be seen but we sure do hope that he will not have to wait for long for his maiden win on the Asian circuit. After having rubbed shoulders with the very best a week back in Turnberry, a win on Tour is not asking for too much, is it?
But he will not be the only one we will let our hopes rest on. Another young lad turned heads at the Black Mountain Masters. Big-hitting Anirban Lahiri was in contention through most of the final round till an adrenalin-filled second shot put a bogey in the works, and a title out of reach. The bogey aside, he showed enough potential to suggest he belongs in the big league. Fever may have laid him low for a while but after a brief coaching stint, fulfilling his sponsor commitments, Anirban looks fit enough to deliver on the promise as he gets back to the rigours of professional golf.
We insisted that the Black Mountain Masters was a small turning point for Indian golf but Anirban wouldn't go as far as to say that. He insists that would be a far too pompous pronouncement... Well, we will hold our horses for the time being but an impressive showing this week from the two would get us really excited about the next line of Indian golfers.
And while the two of them might be spearheading India's challenge, let's not forget a number of other Indian names in the mix. We would have absolutely no qualms if any one of them went on to steal the title. For all we care, as long as there is "IND" next to the winner's name nothing else really matters. Hey, don't you dare call us greedy!
But he will not be the only one we will let our hopes rest on. Another young lad turned heads at the Black Mountain Masters. Big-hitting Anirban Lahiri was in contention through most of the final round till an adrenalin-filled second shot put a bogey in the works, and a title out of reach. The bogey aside, he showed enough potential to suggest he belongs in the big league. Fever may have laid him low for a while but after a brief coaching stint, fulfilling his sponsor commitments, Anirban looks fit enough to deliver on the promise as he gets back to the rigours of professional golf.
Ban Ban Lahiri 
And while the two of them might be spearheading India's challenge, let's not forget a number of other Indian names in the mix. We would have absolutely no qualms if any one of them went on to steal the title. For all we care, as long as there is "IND" next to the winner's name nothing else really matters. Hey, don't you dare call us greedy!
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