With the likes of Colin Montgomerie, other Ryder Cup faces and several Indian star golfers all set to fight it out for the Avantha Masters, beginning on Thursday, the field is indeed the best ever the country has witnessed.
Greg Norman-designed Jaypee Greens golf course here would not only witness a tough competition for the euro 1.8 million tri-sanctioned event, but the home bunch would try its best to win the trophy. SSP Chowrasia was the one and only Indian to have won the tournament in 2011. As Jbe Kruger took the top honour last year, none of the home golfers could even finish in top 20.
This time, however, Jeev Milkha Singh’s presence might come as a much-needed boost.
Having recovered from injuries, Jeev is “fighting fit” and would want the conditions to favour Indians. “The greens are rolling well and I am sure the scoring will be low. It’s the time when there is a change of season and the wind will blow a lot and I hope it does,” he said.
Even Chowrasia exuded confidence. “I’ve played Jaypee Greens many times, so I know what to expect. The fairways are quite wide, so unless the rough is very thick I think the scoring will be quite low,” said Chowrasia, a two-time European Tour winner having won the 2008 Indian Masters.
The Indian challenge would also be strengthened by Anirban lahiri, who won the Asian Tour’s SAIl-SBI Open last week, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur and Gaganjeet Bhullar among others.
Apart from Montgomerie, who captained Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2010, Italy’s Edoardo Molinari, Ignacio Garrido of Spain, England’s David Howell, Frenchman Thomas levet, and Welshman Philip Price would be more than eager to give the Indians a tough time on the 72-par course.
“Whenever I have visited this fascinating country in the past, I have always found the people to be both very friendly and enthusiastic about golf. Hopefully the crowds will come along to support the tournament,” Montgomerie said.