Fair 038; simple: Keep to the fairways

If this year8217;s Indian Open sees yet another Indian on the podium, it will not be because there was a dearth of foreign talent on the De...

If this year8217;s Indian Open sees yet another Indian on the podium, it will not be because there was a dearth of foreign talent on the Delhi Golf Club greens.

It would be through the general surge in the country8217;s talent pool. Starting tomorrow, 144 golfers will be out hunting for the cut which, according to Jyoti Randhawa, could come around two over.

The stars have been marked out in crimson. Apart from India8217;s two exempt Asian Order of Merit winners Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa, there will be current Asian Tour leader Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, No. 5 on the Asian Tour, Terry Pilkadaris of Australia, No. 11 young Thai star Prom Meesawat, No. 47 Shiv Kapur of India and more, in fray for the 47,250 first prize of the 300,000 event sponsored by Hero Honda.

Also around will be Mardan Mamat of Singapore, the defending champion. He is No. 28 on the Merit Order now. He looked in great nick today as his team won the Pro Am with a combined score of 26 under. The fact that this win was through big inputs from his amateur partners barely undercuts the fact that Mamat retains a sweet tooth for this course.

Last year he won by five strokes after 18-under finish, thanks to a closing seven-under-par 65.

That was the first Singaporean success on the Asian Tour. Now he feels 8220;relaxed,8221; and not 8220;willing to put any extra pressure on myself despite being champion I have this extra responsibility.8221;

The key to the weekend will be simple, it was heard. 8220;Keep to the fairways, and no unnecessary adventures,8221; as Randhawa and the Indian Tour8217;s star Ashok Kumar pointed out. There are tricky spots that the veterans will avoid. 8220;Could be going a bit fast,8221; says Randhawa. Drive out and steer well.

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Atwal is coming in form fast courses. 8220;Should suit me fine,8221; he says, 8220;but it8217;s about knowing this course and the lurking hazards.8221;

Atwal has slowly learned lie of many of the US courses, 8220;but it should all come back to me as I go through my paces,8221; says. Atwal is one of the only five Indian winners six times, with Ali Sher doing it twice of the Open in its 40-year history.

The other Indian winners were Randhawa and Firoz Ali. Interestingly, apart from Ali Sher, the other four are in the current fray.

That8217;s the trick of the course. That has been the trick of the Open, since it transplanted itself from the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. At the DGC8217;s par 72 course, one looks forward to a weekend of class that could break the course record of 64.

Fair ways around the greens

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Not a laid-back course, but somewhat tight around the corners, lean and tricky. Best way is to be honest with it, go for the eagle on the par 5 opener or wait till the eighth. On your way back you have the 14th and the home 18th to consolidate. After winning the 1982 Asian Games gold, Lakshman Singh had said: 8220;The lush and narrow fairways beckon you and, at the same time, intimidate you.8221;

Key early groups

Start following the 17th group, led by Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, then fall back to take a peek at Rahdhawa8217;s group, teeing off 18 minutes later. Atwal 038; Co will be out around 11.30 am, so he8217;ll catch up as you catch your breath.

Outstation challenge

Mostly from Asian Order of Merit leader Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand.

But lookout for defending champion Mardan Mamat. He was member of the Asian team that won the Visa Dynasty Cup this year. Well, the Indians made a good run of it, really.

Also, he topped the pre-meet warm-up pro-am.