Friday, July 31, 2009

Ace That!

We know this is the Buick Open week, but we still can't get over the aces that pelted the course at the Canadian Open and the BMWs in tow. And while Arjun's hole-in-one and the car that came with it had us all excited, you cannot miss this amazing ace by Leif Olson-:



Goliiards, is it? Nope, good ol' golf with a dash of luck!

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Golf And The Gita


When we look back at the history of movies on golf, Legend of Bagger Vance, unfortunately, gets drowned out in the din. To be honest, we must strike off the word unfortunate because with a star cast that boasts of Charlize Theron, Matt Damon and Will Smith, to produce a superficial, cliched take on "golf and life" is a big blunder. The script just seemed to have so much potential but it fell short of expectations on the big screen.

But what draws us to this post is the connection between India and the movie, well, actually, the book, considering that the egg did come before the dud. Whoever said golf in India only goes as far back as the Scots who used to hack their way around the plains of Dum Dum in Kolkata in the early 1800s. The author of the book, Steven Pressfield, was so inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, at a time when he was struggling to pay off his rents, he decided to adapt it to a new novel.

Bhagavan, quite literally, came into his life-:

Bhaga became Bagger and van became Vance so Bhagavan became Bagger Vance. And just like Krishna guided Arjuna through the battle, Bagger Vance took it upon himself to revive Rannulph Junnuh's (name inspired by Arjuna) life, the protagonist, from being a drunken outcast to finding his way back into the people's heart by competing alongside Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen in an "epic" golf match on the Krewe Island(name inspired by, yup, you guessed it right-- Kurukshetra).

When it was announced that the book would be turned into a movie, there was a group that filed a case, saying that the movie "may hurt religious sentiments", and they were very concerned about how "god would be portrayed in the film". The National Council of Hindu Temples put out a statement saying, "Bagger Vance is a distortion of the Hindu word for God. Hindus will find it offensive to see Will Smith on the screen being called what is basically the word for god."

Do people get concerned, worried and offended too easily these days? The case was dismissed and the movie went on to be screened without a problem.

There was another book trying to ascertain the link between the Bhagavad Gita and golf. It was titled Gita on the Green: The Mystical Tradition Behind Bagger Vance.

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Monday, July 27, 2009

Bull Run!


Can we please say we told you so? :D Fine, we won't but before we tell you anything at all, allow us a moment for a short rant.

In the absence of live telecast, it is our belief that one must take to the streets and express dissent in the most civil manner possible for lack of coverage. But over the last two days, we rediscovered the joy of having to log on to the Tour website to get hole-by-hole updates. It is a tedious process to keep staring at the small screen, with hope written all over, as the live scoring console on asiantour.com gears up to refresh itself. The first hint we look for is the last updated time on the top of the page and as soon as we spot a change there, the trial begins. Scrolling up, slowly, from rock-bottom, one ranking place at a time till we spot the name. By the time we reach the top-ten, the first instinct is to redo the whole process, just to ensure our boy didn't suddenly quadruple-bogey to some lousy 56th place on the leaderboard. While it is a nervy exercise, more often than not, there are no words to describe the joy of seeing one of the Indians perched right on top.

Wait, isn't that what Gagnjeet Bhullar said after he won the Indonesia President Invitational? Well, he may have had no words to describe his win but we can assure you that the feeling is just the same after 18 holes and 126 index-finger imprints on the F5 key. Sometimes, just sometimes, we are brave enough to look the page in the eye, in the hope that the name is still right on top but we can assure you those moments of bravado are rare. One day, we will write a book -- Live Scoring lookup for Dummies. It will be an exhaustive read on everything that goes into this arduous task, but for now we must not ignore Gagan, should we?


Back in his hotel room with the big trophy, Gagan, busy taking congratulatory messages, was still basking in the glory when we got in touch with him. "I was slightly worried thinking of 2007,” he said of that unlucky miss two years ago, “but I had a slightly bigger lead this time and I was ready for even a play-off chance, getting to the putting green while Blyth finished his round. It was a relief when it was over.”


The youngster also explained just what the ‘Turnberry experience’ he’d been talking about meant. “It just feels very different when you go to the driving range and you see Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els,” he said. “Coming from that field to this one, I was feeling pretty confident of myself and my game.”



Next up: Brunei. Next wish: Another title, like duhh!


Image courtesy: www.asiantour.com


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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Ten-under, More Thunder?

Turns out rain is not the only thing that Gaganjeet Bhullar has carried from windy Scotland to balmy Indonesia. The youngster missed the cut at the British Open, but the confidence of having played his first Major championship seems to be showing already.

Gagan might finally be turning our pre-tournament hopes into reality as he shot a hold-your-breath 10-under 62 in the thundershower-struck third round at the Indonesia President Invitational. Going into Sunday, he's two ahead of all the field but we'll hold our horses before branding him third-round leader as closest pursuer, Adam Blyth, the young Aussie who is ever ready to put on his dancing shoes, is just two behind and with six holes in his third round to go, might just canter ahead before the last round begins.

But this is about Gagan, who is now 17-under for the tournament over just three rounds on the rain-softened greens of the Damai Indah Golf and Country Club. In fact, the last-hole birdie was almost stolen by the 21-year-old, who, playing in near darkness, knew that they might be off any moment. So he played two perfect shots, off the tee, and on the green, in the dark and then two-putted from 12 feet to get the birdie.

That extra cushion might not have been such a bad idea. Gagan, after all, has some bitter-sweet memories of this tournament, courtesy a gentleman named Juvic Pagunsan, as we've already told you. But that was when Gagan was practically a greenhorn in pro golf. Now that the taste of victory is not an alien flavour for him, we hope this finish turns out to be much sweeter.

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Right On Target

When Arjun Atwal stepped on to the 15th tee at Glen Abbey, there was very little that could cheer him up. Reasons for that were plenty-- yet to make the cut on his comeback trail, stuck in the bottom rungs of the leaderboard in Ontario and a playing partner who was setting the pace at the rain-hit Canadian Open.

Starting his second round from the 10th, he needed a run of birdies to spend two more days north of the American border. As he walked off the 15th green, he was still searching for his first birdie, with the additional burden of lugging around a brand-new BMW Z4 Roadster through the rest of the round. That was courtesy his hole-in-one on the 132-yard 15th, the first ace on the hole in over 25 years of the Canadian Open.

A perfect drive, Mr Atwal

Arjun followed it up with three birdies on the run later in his round and looks like he will be in contention on the weekend, provided he does no worse than a par on the last hole. For that, he will have to wait till Saturday morning.

PGA Tour's Bob Stevens, following Arjun's group for Martin Laird's sake, filed this note on his hole-in-one-:

Arjun Atwal came out of nowhere to ace the 132-yard, par-3 15th at Glen Abbey. He threw his tee shot just over the flagstick and spun it off the backboard, which set it up to trickle back down the slope and into the cup. Atwal didn't appear to know he'd won the car until its "keeper" came out and told him. Arjun climbed inside his new ride for a few photos before walking up the hill to pull the ball out of the cup. His wife was following all the action and told me she'd be in charge of the car's future.

Now we wonder if he could exchange his BMW for PGA Tour earnings to move up the money list. Not a bad idea we think!

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Back To The Fold

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.

Ban Ban Lahiri

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!

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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Gone With The Wind


The wizened old man of links golf is setting the bar at Turnberry. Tom Watson is turning out to be the incredible, beautiful story of the 2009 British Open.

But for us, the thrill of watching the tiny tricolour image on the leaderboard was unfortunately cut short rather early. Among those who watch Indian golf closely, there was no one in the least surprised when Gaganjeet Bhullar qualified for his first Major appearance at the green age of 20 this April. The youngster, big-hitting, confident, and precociously talented, always stood from the rest of the teenage pack from the time he was an amateur.

This Friday at windy Turnberry though, Bhullar, who had started the British Open with a one-over 71, which was remarkable in the way he bounced back from two bad setbacks, failed to keep up with the challenge of the weather and the beautiful, but brutal golf course.

Bhullar's 77 in the second round, because of which he missed the cut by four shots, was not a measure of the 21-year-old’s skills. It was definitely one of his experience though. The young Irish star Rory McIlroy, you might say, also struggled, but managed to pull through to weekend action. But McIlroy, who has been playing on the European professional circuit for a while now, has practically grown up on courses like Ailsa.

That brings us to the question of the need of championship courses in India. Links golf, as Watson has proven in three days, is all about experience. The more you play, the better you do it. While it’s not a certainty that young Bhullar would’ve done extraordinarily well had he had more practice of links golf, we can be sure that he would’ve handled it much better. He certainly wouldn’t have needed to travel to Scotland 15 days in advance on his own money to get used to that kind of golf.

As Bhullar mentioned himself, there is only one setup at the moment in India that comes closest to being a links course. But even Gurgaon’s Golden Greens does not present a challenge remotely close to the ones in the British Isles. For one, the kind of wind that can wreak havoc in your round, rarely finds its way in there through the Aravalli ranges. The rough, too, is not wild enough to ensure that consistent disciplined hitting becomes imperative.

Getting tough, competitve championship courses might not be too popular at the beginning among the players, as the scoring is likely to shoot up, but it will pay dividends soon. It is the only way to ensure that when our players get to the big stage on their talent, they have the right kind of playing experience to make them stay there for long enough.
Image courtesy: www.asiantour.com

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Friday, July 17, 2009

Shiv Struck Down By Cricket Bug

NO, this can't be happening! Surely not when you have just registered your first top-ten finish in Europe. Just when all of India, err, all of India's golfing public were trying to glue together Jeev's ribs, Shiv Kapur gives us another blow.

His pull-out from last week's Scottish Open was a mystery for most. Especially after that cheery picture we put up of Shiv 'Vivian' Kapur in the 'Caddies vs Players' cricket match on the day of the practice round. Well, as it turns out, Shiv, trying to effect a remarkable stop off his own bowling, busted his shoulder. While we are not sure if he managed to save a run but he sure did do his shoulder enough damage to ensure that a golf club stays out of his hand for a few weeks. He played a round-and-a-half at Loch Lomond but even that was unadvisable.

He told us that he hopes to be back for the Czech Open later this month. After the eighth-place finish at Munich, a climb up the merit list seemed to be in the offing. The injury might have derailed that plan for now but we sure do hope that he resumes his charge towards the top 60 at the earliest.

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Faltering First Step? Not Quite

The 138th Open Championship - Round One

Gagan surveys Turnberry with caddie Andrew Dearden

The sun shone nice and bright on Turnberry. No wonder it seemed like the recording from that 1977 Sunday was running on television. Tom Watson has provided the first day of the 2009 British Open a blockbuster script, but Gaganjeet Bhullar's opening-day show won't be only a footnote. Not when the name Tiger Woods will be entered in the same rung on the scoreboard. That's obviously not a fair enough reason to applaud Gagan though after his first competitive outing at Turnberry. And we found a better.

Gagan finished one-over 71, tied for the 68th spot. Not a fairytale beginning, but commendable considering the nervy beginning and a mid-round slump. Gagan's birdie lip-out on the first hole was followed, quite disastrously, by a triple after he overhit his putt on the par-four second and struggled to hole out despite having been on the green in three. He followed that up with a bogey, but found heart to strike rhythm and three straight birdies starting from the seventh.

But just in case you thought the nerves were gone, he made another mistake, giving away a double on the 14th after messing up his tee shot and getting back to four-over. But lo and behold, the three-birdie stretch was back -- from the 15 to the 17th -- as he finished pretty strongly, rescuing himself from going too deep down on the scoresheet.

As he said later: "Maybe I was just trying too hard. But ultimately, I was proud of the way I fought.

“It’s a pretty decent finish considering my shaky start. But after overcoming that, I slowly recovered and never looked back."

It's a morning tee-off for the debutant on Friday, and this time we hope, it's the score that does the dipping.

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Ruling At The Home Of Golf

34 rules should be easy to master, right? Or so many would think before reality dawns upon them. When the 34 rules give way to 34,000 interpretations, even the wisest are left scratching their heads. But Ishwar Achanta is not your common man. He could rattle off half the rules of golf before the quick brown fox can jump over the lazy dog. The Open in 2005 might have witnessed a special Tiger win and an emotional farewell for Jack Nicklaus, but it also wrote a new chapter in Indian golf. Achanta became the first Indian to officiate in a Major championship. With Gaganjeet Bhullar teeing off in less than two hours, we bounced a few questions off the man considered the encyclopedia of golf rules in India-:

Q. Tell us about your experience in 2005...

A. It was phenomenal. Most people didn't expect to see an Indian referee in a major golf tournament because India was not considered a part of the global golf map. The rookies got a chance to introduce themselves and it was a special moment when I introduced myself as a representative of the Indian Golf Union. To have got the chance in St Andrews, the home of golf, was even more special.

Q. Were you nervous when you started out?

A. I was assigned the group of Daniel Chopra and they teed off around four in the afternoon. It was a wet cold day and blustery throughout, just like you would expect it in Scotland. When they started off, there were a few Indian tourists and they were waving out to me and saying words of encouragement. I almost felt like I was a player!


Q. And the first ruling?

A. It didn't take much time coming. It was of the first shot hit. I think it was Bart Bryant, playing with Daniel, who waved out for a referee. There was a hint of trepidation as I went towards him. It was, after all, the first hole at St Andrews in front of a large number of people. The Indians cheered me on as I went towards him. Thankfully it was a simple enough ruling as the ball was resting next to the sprinkler head.


Q. Did the star players throw 'starry tantrums'?

A. It can happen at other events but in a Major, the referees and the players share a very warm relationship. I remember after the tournament, I went up to Tiger and shook his hands and he said, "Thank you for all your help." Even though I had no interaction with him during the course of the tournament, it was just the respect the players had for the referees that prompted him to say that.


Q. Did you always want to make it big as a referee?

A. It was never a question of wanting to make it big but I do remember, in 2001, a year before I became a qualified referee, there was a small incident in my home club which led to a lot of confusion. I guess that was when I decided that I will devote a lot of my time to understanding the rules of the game.


Q. Are you still active as a referee?

A. I don't do many tournaments, which is also a result of having achieved what I wanted to but there are a few that I do regularly, like the Australian Open and some of the other ones. I am now looking at a greater role in golf administration.


Q. And your views on Gaganjeet?

A. I have seen him in his earlier days on the tour and he is a very talented player. I have always maintained that it is a matter of time before an Indian does something big. To put it differently, it is just a matter of time before the Claret Jug comes home.

--

We sure do wish that the 42-year-old plays a greater role in Indian golf and may great success bless the Golf Referees Association of India, which we hope, under his stewardship, is able to produce many qualified men who represent the country on the major tours. Wouldn't it be a pretty sight, to see Tiger Woods docked two strokes by one of our own?

1st Asian R&A Referees School

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Raise The Curtains

The 138th Open Championship - Previews

It's a new dawn, you could say. Unfortunately, Gagan has been given a noon tee-off time. Oh well, bad jokes apart, today's the day our 21-year-old, who, till some months back, did not have even a single professional win to his name, will hear the words "Next on tee, Gaganjeet Bhullar" at the 138th British Open championship.

With Jeev having to drop out because of his still unhealed rib injury, Gagan had been left to play Tuesday's practice round by himself. But he's also risen to the challenge of being the only Indian representation at windy Turnberry. "These are big shoes to fill, but I'm mentally ready," he'd said.

Gagan has spent the last 15 days playing around Scotland's drive-testing links courses, including a few rounds at the Royal Troon. But it was the big-name, big-deal buzz at Turnberry that had him all charged up post last Thursday, and the big-hitter insisted he liked the course set-up too. Of course, Jeev's left behind some advice. "We played 18 holes together on Monday and he's basically told me that as long as I hit it flat I'll be alright," Gagan said.

But despite being surrounded by the fancy assembly line of golfing stars, the youngster hasn't quite chatted up anyone yet. "The big players like to keep to themselves at a big tournament," Gagan said. We'd like to hope he's chased for a few playing tips post Sunday!

Well whatever the case, it's going to be an experience to remember for a lifetime for Gagan. He tees off at 4:33 pm IST.

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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Genie: Time For Another Wish Pawan

It was a muggy afternoon, and the golf club just did not seem like the most inviting place. But there was no way we were going to miss our young guns slug it out under the bare sky for the spots on offer for the Indian team. The top eight amateurs and the two best juniors were completing the final rites of a eight-round trial to determine three of the four names for the Indian team for the Nomura Cup later this year.

The boys had played two rounds each at Golden Greens, Classic Golf Resort, DLF and one round at DGC before the final run on Saturday. Abhishek Jha and Rashid Khan had virtually sealed their spots. The latter completing the DLF leg with a two-day total of eight-under par. Pawan Kumar looked set to bag the third spot on offer with the IGU selection committee empowering itself to make one pick, to complete the four-man team.

We were a little late to get to the club, but it wasn't difficult to hunt down the five two-balls as we simply followed the beads of sweat that had lined the route to the 14th fairway. The rustling leaves and the 'swishes of disgruntlement' meant that we had reached the right place. It was Chikka's ball that had been lured by the thick bushes that line the fairways at the Delhi Golf Club.

And after that, the rest followed in a steady line, bathed in salted water, trying hard to hasten their return to the clubhouse. Pawan's five-shot cushion had melted away and a double bogey on the 14th put him four behind Karan Vasudeva.

The 24-year-old late bloomer had told us earlier this year that his one dream was to play for India and he was just one of two players in the ten-man field yet to represent the country in an international tournament. The other being Arshdeep Tiwana. But a 12-over final round, and a 17-over sojourn through his home course was something that Pawan didn't expect but that's exactly what happened. It had left the young man disheartened.

Pawan finishing his final-round ordeal on Saturday


As luck would have it, the IGU, rather wisely, chose to pick the top four, which means Pawan's passport, right about now, is walking towards the Korean embassy for a little tete-a-tete. One thing is for sure, it won't be the much-in-fad big white belts easily available in Korea, but a chance to represent India that will have him counting down the days to the big meet in September.

And what is it about these belts? That, unfortunately, is one department where we will have to plead ignorance.

The Indian team for the Asia Pacific Amateur Team Championship-:

Abhishek Jha
Rashid Khan
Karan Vasudeva
Pawan Kumar

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Monday, July 13, 2009

Oh Deere Oh Deere

Tragic, we'd like to believe! Perhaps, we cast the heebie-jeebies on them but after looking forward to the two big tournaments last week with such great anticipation, despair was writ large on our faces.

For the second consecutive week, SSP Chowrasia was the only Indian golfer to make the cut in an European Tour event. What's going on there? But unfortunately, he hugged the bottom of the leaderboard through the weekend at the Scottish Open, and that was more than just a tad disappointing. Arjun Atwal, making his long-awaited return on the PGA Tour, failed to make it to the weekend at the John Deere Classic. We sure do hope that he gets back to top form at the earliest. He needs to, if he hopes to secure his Tour card for next season.

Interestingly, a question we harboured for long was finally answered this Sunday at the Delhi Golf Club. The famed who-in-the-good-lord's-name-is-John-Deere mystery remains a mystery no more-:


John Deere is the official golf course equipment supplier on the PGA Tour, or so claimed the monster-vehicle beautifying the fairways of DGC.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009

A Bogey-free Six On The Card

Barclays Scottish Open - Previews

Now you know why it had to be golf for Shiv! Oh well, we must not be so harsh. Heck, he seems to have given the ball a good tonk and we wouldn't be surprised if it went all the way over the 30-yard circle.

All that we need is for the big-hitting to give way to accuracy as the big boys of Indian golf hunt for big game. While Shiv, along with Jeev, Jyoti and SSP, will prowl the fairways of the scenic Loch Lomond Golf Club, Arjun Atwal will be waging a lone battle at the John Deere Classic on the other side of that big blue thing they call the Atlantic.

As for Mr 40, we are not very sure how his body is holding up, but we do take some confidence from his top-ten finish at the same venue last year. Oh, and btw, we wouldn't really put our money on Jyoti in Scotland. Not looking at the way his first round is unfolding for sure!

Good luck boys. Do us proud this week.

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Flying High


The 12-year-old who didn't think much of the sport she'd been made to learn at the summer camp, to the hopeful teenager who'll get the big stage to flaunt her game in the Finnish summer: Gauri Monga has come quite a distance.


Just 15, Delhi girl Gauri has been picked by Finnair, on what they say is a recommendation from the Indian Golf Union, to play at the Finnair Masters in Helsinki in late August, a Ladies European Tour event.


Gauri, whose game, she says was turned around in a two-month coaching stint with senior professional Ashok Kumar, really made a mark when she won the amateur title at the Asian tour's Indian Open earlier this year. While a big-stage performance is always better noticed, Gauri had also made sure that there was no danger of her being branded a one-tournament wonder. In the last amateur season, the class X student had won five titles, and at least two of them by 10-shot margins.


Gauri, who currently plays off scratch, has said that she had a 16 handicap when she was taken to Ashok by her mother, and in ten months, he brought it down to 2. Ashok obviously saw something he could work on to match her to the best in the country. Come August, and we'll watch on with pride as the youngster tries to match up to the best in Europe.

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The Curious Case Of BGC

How would it feel to hit your drive, smack down the centre of the fairway, 320 yards away? Darned good right? How would it feel to walk all the way up to the spot where the ball has finished just to see a lousy bird flying away with the ball in its beak? If you happen to play at the Bangalore Golf Club, it would be a little more than a rare occurrence as the crows at the course are more of a menace than you would have bargained for! So much so that the club logo depicts a crow with a ball in its beak!!


Established in 1876, the Bangalore Golf Club course is the oldest existing course in India. No No, you can calm the raised eyebrows, we are not misguiding you. While the Royal Calcutta Golf Club might be the oldest club outside the British Isles, the fact is that the Royal has had to change its course three times, with the present one thrown open to the members in 1912. That technicality pushes the Bangalore Golf Club into the pages of history, although, it is seldom recognised for this feat.

With the city boasting of two other quality courses, KGA and Eagleton, it is the unique logo of BGC that brings it to the forefront of our conscience. The menace is at its peak right after mating season, with an average of three-four balls falling prey to the crow's insecurity everyday.

Such instances have been recorded at some of the best courses. Perhaps, none more famous than in '98 at the famed 17th at TPC Sawgrass, when Steve Lowery struck his tee shot towards the island green. A seagull swooped down and tried to fly away with the ball-:




What do you do in such a situation? Fret not because Rule 18.1 will come to your rescue-:

"If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced."

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

A Rare Hole-in-one

As our aircraft fought its way through the monsoon clouds hanging low over the city of Pune, a sense of unease gripped the passengers. Not even Captain Collin James’ calm voice could fight off the mid-air turbulence.

But the rough treatment meted out to the jumbo jet was not close to what Emlyn Aubrey experienced as his flight headed from Pakistan towards Delhi.

20 years back, Emlyn, an American professional golfer embarked on his second trip to India to compete in the Indian Open to be played at the Delhi Golf Club. But no sooner had the flight taken off, he was greeted with a hole in the plane, or so goes the story. Narrating the incident to us, Emlyn says, “It happened on the way to Delhi in ’89. It wasn’t a “hole” but a separation between the wall and the floor. I could stick my whole hand in there. I saw daylight when the landing gear was down but thankfully it went away when the landing gear was raised for cruising.”

And how did he deal with the situation? “I remember covering the gap with my foot in hopes of maintaining cabin pressure. Silly, but true,” he answers.


And you think it’s rocket science?


The story had made its way across the Atlantic, and when he briefly flirted with the lead at the US Open later that year, the Chicago Tribune story read, “Emlyn Aubrey has seen snakes in the rough, wild monkeys in the trees and a hole in the bottom of an airplane at 25,000 feet. But none of his experiences on the Asian Tour could compare with the brief glimpse of his name atop the leader board in the 89th U.S. Open.”



But the dodgy flight is not his only connection to India. In 1994, Emlyn came back to India one last time and walked away with the Indian Open trophy at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Taking us back to his win, he says, “I had played there a few years earlier and I really liked the golf course. I just played well and ended up beating everybody that week. The champion’s party afterward was incredible: music, traditional dance and great food!”


Winning in Calcutta made the victory a little more special for him. “I think Royal Calcutta is the oldest golf course outside Great Britain. It is an honour to have played there,” he says.


His first impressions of India might not have been great but a visit to one special attraction was something that he cannot forget. “I am a bit adventurous, and once golf was done for the day, I was able to get out and sightsee. Of course no trip to India is complete without seeing the Taj Mahal. One of the best experiences I have ever had. If I had to choose one place to take my family, it would be there. To think it was built by hand and the materials they used… just mindblowing.”


Today, a 45-year-old Emlyn teaches golf at the Centernary College in Indiana. And the teacher would be more than happy to impart lessons to pupils from India.


But would he like to entertain thoughts of another flight from Pakistan to India? Well, the jury is still out on that one.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Trial Run At Turnberry

Gaganjeet Bhullar had made sure this April that he wouldn't be counted as just another professional by anyone piecing together Indian golf history. Three months on, he's trying to take all possible steps to ensure he's not consigned to a forgotten bunch at the British Open either.

Gaganjeet, our younger hope at this year's third Major, might have become the sixth Indian in history to make it to the Open, but he's made it clear that he won't be satisfied with just making his appearance a four-round one. And so, Gaganjeet has made the journey to Scotland a little early to try and get used to wind-swept Turnberry before teeing it up on July 16. “It is my first Major and expectations are really high but I am mentally ready. I want to give my best and I will not play for the cut, I am aiming higher than that and would like to finish in the top-10,” he had said just before leaving.

The youngster has played on the tough links courses of the British Isles earlier as an amateur, but making it count on a big stage like this will be a real challenge for the 21-year-old. But we know he has a mature, thinking head on those shoulders, and we can't wait to see one of our brightest hopes at Ailsa.

It might have been the venue for the Duel in the Sun back in 1977, but Gagan knows Turnberry might just as easily become a battle in the rain. “The conditions are going to be tough and it will not be easy. If it's raining on one hole, the wind is howling on the next. These are the things I need to watch out for and prepare myself mentally and physically,” he had said.

In the three months between qualifying and now, Gagan has also tried to work on hitting flatter to minimise the ball getting lost in the wind. With his practice stint now, he'll surely figure out some more key points. We'll have a chat with Gagan in a couple of days for more updates!

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