Greater Noida, 13-03-2013
Injury-free Jeev, confident Lahiri lead Indian challenge at Avantha Masters
Jeev Milkha Singh, the most successful Indian professional, and Anirban Lahiri, the man in red-hot form, are two of India’s main challengers at the fourth edition of the Euros 1.8 million Avantha Masters which tees off at the lush Jaypee Greens Golf Resort. Yet, that the depth in Indian golf is such that there are at least half a dozen players, who can pull off a win this week.
Lahiri is coming fresh off his third career win last week, while Jeev, after being plagued by various injuries, is finally ready to compete in the pink of health.
Lahiri said, “I’m looking at it (Avantha Masters) as a big opportunity for me to get some world ranking points and move up that list. Obviously, if I do well this week, it’ll boost my position on the Order of Merit and also help me get my card in Europe.”
He has won in each of the last three seasons. “My first win was very crucial for me and since then I’ve grown in confidence and I’ve matured as a player. I’ve learnt from that last year and managed to keep it going and this year I would like to do more of the same. I’m really glad I won last week as it has given me a great boost to the start of the year. I want to get my world rankings up with the Olympics approaching,” added Lahiri.
Lahiri maintained, “My Vipassana training has really helped. It’s like swimming or cycling. Once you’ve learnt how to do it, you’ll not forget how to do it anymore. It really depends thereafter how much you practise it.”
Meanwhile Jeev said, “I’m injury-free and I think that’s a good story to tell. Normally I would have been injured for the last five years. I’m feeling good about my game as I can hit the balls the way I want to now and not worry about injuries.”
Jeev has high hopes from the Indian players. “India has the seasoned Chowrasia, Lahiri, Bhullar, Shiv and a whole bunch of youngsters like Rashid, upcoming Khalin Joshi and many others besides Shamim Khan, who is so prolific in India and the veteran Mukesh Kumar.”
Complimenting the sponsors, he added, “The Avantha group has done a fantastic job by putting together an event like this. It’s also a great opportunity for Indian players to perform and for the game to grow in our country.”
On the international front, Alvaro Quiros is relishing his return to competitive action after a four-month hiatus. The Spaniard has since been injured with a damaged cartilage in his right wrist since November 2012.
Shaking off the rust, Quiros had a good look at the course during the Pro-Am.
He said: “It feels great to be back. I’ve been a bit bored at home, so I’m really pleased to be playing golf again. My wrist feels fine, and I’m not in any pain. It feels a little bit weak when I hit shots out of the rough, so I need to build up the strength a little bit. So I’m really looking forward to getting the tournament started. It will all feel new to me again!” Quiros is paired with Gaganjeet Bhullar, and Thai ace Thongchai Jaidee.
The other leading names are Colin Montgomerie, an eight-time Europea Tour No. 1, David Howell, Simon Dyson, Thomas Levet, Pablo Larraszabal and Marc Warren among others.
Warren, Gangjee lead teams to wins in Pro-Am
English professional Marc Warren, who is back in India for the Avantha Masters for the third year running set the tone for the 2013 edition by steering his team to a win in the Pro-Am that preceded the main event, which begins on Thursday. Warren, who has won twice each on the European Tour and European Challenge Tour, had as his teammates, VK Garg, Sandeep Kumar and Inderjit Singh. Together they totaled 28-under and won by one stroke over the team led by India pro, Chiragh Kumar. Chiragh’s teammates were JS Naurath, Anil Khachi and Col R Akhouri. Jyoti Randhawa with his teammates Shubhodip Pal, Dushyant Sud and Sanjay Kailash were third.
Cricketer Nikhil Chopra hit the longest Drive on Hole 15 and it measured 320 yards, while on Hole 7, Sujit Nagrath was nearest to the pin at just one foot seven inches, while Piyush Tiwari was three feet away.
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