For defending champion Ashok Kumar,who plays rather infrequently anywhere outside India,the Rs 1 crore DLF Masters is as big as it gets. It was his consistent low scores over three days at the DLF Golf Country and Club last year even when other marquee names were in attendance that made him stand out as a clear winner and a potential name to reckon with. But it will be quite a challenge for him to repeat that feat,primarily because he is still climbing his way up post his hernia surgery and also because former DLF winners Gaganjeet Bhullar,Jyoti Randhawa and Tour winners Himmat Rai,Anirban Lahiri,SSP Chowrasia have all lined up here this week to stake claim at the winners trophy. Health is not in my hands but putting a good effort is. Im still not at my best post the break I took because of my illness but day by day my golf is improving. Main apni koshish karunga baaki haar jeet toh Saturday ko he pata chalega, Ashok says with the nonchalant attitude that he wears on his sleeve. A fortnight away from the Indian Open and before some big-prize purse fall events on Asian soil follow,a good tournament at home could turn out to be quite the turnaround that some players may be seeking. While Randhawa has missed six halfway-cuts in Asia,the only good news in the past few months for him has been a domestic title,playing at his home course with almost nothing at stake could help him regain his touch before everyone descends at the Delhi Golf Club for the national Open. Chowrasia is in a similar plight. Despite winning the co-sanctioned Avantha Masters in February,the title did nothing to improve either his long game or his fortunes in Europe. Now that he looks home-wards,memories of clinching a thrilling win earlier this year at the same course may give him a mental edge and some much-needed confidence before he embarks on the international circuit again. Failing to sizzle after his maiden Asian Tour victory this year,Lahiri can also be counted among those waiting for one good week to turn around the tempo of missed cuts and forgettable recent performances. The stakes are high for Bhullar as well,who declined a late invite from the $5,000,000 Dunhill Championship in Europe to keep his commitment for the home event. My entry got confirmed as late as Friday and I wasnt mentally prepared to go there. Plus its played over three courses and you cant really practice anything for that. I thought it was better to come home,get some practice for Indian Open and if I do well there it gives me a shot at the second stage of the PGA Tour qualifying school, Bhullar reasoned. The course will also add its own story-lines here as whoever has played some practice rounds swears about the trickiness of the greens,how fast they are playing and how a cold putter could ruin the tournament for any aspirant. I practice here week in and week out and have hardly ever seen the greens so fast and such variance in them. The short game will have to be very consistent for anyone who wants to post some decent totals and a good putter can see you in contention on the final day, Abhinav Lohan,who was part of the Asian Games silver-winning team last year,said.
