Feature
There are also a few who are playing on
other various tours and I guess it’s just a
matter of time that they break into the big
league.
Q. What quality according to you do
Indian golfers lack when compared to
their international counterparts?
A. I feel that our Indian golfers are well
rounded in all aspects of the game. They
have the talent, ambition and the grit to
perform under pressure. We have quite a
few golfers who are competing day in and
day out on international tours and defi nitely
don’t lack anything! The likes of Jeev Milkha
Singh, Anirban Lahiri, SSP Chawrasia,
Gaganjeet Bhullar, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv
Kapur, Chirag Kumar, Rahil Ganjee, Arjun
Atwal and many others who have proven
themselves time and time again! A whole
lot of youngsters are moving up the ladder
on the Asian tour which goes to show their
ability to compete with the world’s best.
Q. Which is your favourite golf course?
Why do you have a particular affi nity
for it?
A. The Delhi Golf club has been my all-
time favourite course since I have been
playing there since the beginning of my
golfi ng days. This is a tree lined course
which demands a certain amount of focus
and precision on the tees.
Q. What was the toughest championship
course you went up against?
A. For me in India the Royal Calcutta Golf
Club has the length and requires precision of
a straight hitter. Those days the equipment
was not as advanced as it is today and I
guess length was a major factor.
This picture was taken in 1986.Mundy with his mentor
Late Ramesh Bhasin, 2nd from right. The Jubilee Golf Tournament
& with Hawaiian theme & Mundy with the Best Gross prize
connection with the game. I cherish each
win and memory with all my heart and am
so thankful to golf for giving me a great
and eventful life, enough wins to toast and
to have a sense of pride for my country
and myself. I am honoured that I continue
my association with the game and have a
chance to provide a platform to budding
professionals great example who has pumped in a huge
amount of money over the years. In addition,
we have a number of tournaments sponsored
by top corporate houses of the country.
However more corporate houses are required
to come forward and believe that golf can
be a great platform for them. Professional
golfers play for money and hence the sport
needs additional sponsorships.
Q. What is that one special thing you wish Q. How will you rate the golfi ng scene in
to bring to the table as CEO of PGTI? the Indian context? What are the biggest
issues concerning the game in India?
A. Apart from of course making the purse
for PGTI richer, I think I would be very
happy to see our professional golfers get
world ranking points for victories on the
tour.
Q. Tell us about the challenges you face
as an administrator.
Q. How often do you hit the ball these
days? A. First of all I want to thank all the pro
golfers who have shown so much faith in me
and continue to support me in my journey. I
would have failed as an administrator if I did
not have a great team supporting my every
operation on and off the golf course. I am
blessed with a great team which makes my
life a lot easier. The challenges unfortunately
continue to be with sponsorship and raising
money. The process is on to try and make
this sport more popular than what it is and I
guess once we have an open tour, things will
start looking upwards from then on.
A. Unfortunately not as much as I would
like to. My work with PGTI leaves me with
little time to play. How can they help to enhance/uplift the
game?
Q. Tell us a little about the relationship
you shared with your favourite caddie.
A. Wilson had been on my bag for 26 years
which is a very long time and I must say
we had a great relationship on and off the
course. He still continues working under me
in PGTI. Our association currently stands
at 34 long years. We have handled the
rollercoaster ride in professional golf and
shared happiness and sorrow together.
Q. After a long innings, has there ever
occurred a sense of regret in connection
with the game?
A. I do not have a single regret in
A. We have come a long way where Indian
golf is concerned. The number of pro golfers
has increased dramatically, the sponsors
Q. What do you expect from Corporates?
A. We continue to have the support of
some great corporates so far and that has
enabled us to bring this sport so far ahead.
Our president Mr GautamThapar is one such
Uttam and Farzan officiating at the Tata Open 2014.
GolfPlus
JULY
2017
57