Kahlon — a cut above the amateurs

Considering the quality of golf he has played, the term `rookie’ seems a misnomer. Says Kahlon: “Technically, it’s my first year as a pro. And having being consistent, the tag comes with the package. It is OK. What’s in a title when I know what the reality is ?”

He believes in setting goals for himself. “One becomes complacent when there is nothing more to achieve. It effects performance and could trigger a downslide,” he explains.

An Arjuna Award winner in 1996, Kahlon looks at the switch as an invigorating move. “Since I have taken up the game full time, I might as well keep setting standards for myself.”

Comparing amateur golf to its pro avatar, Kahlon says: “The money in pro golf is an incentive to play. However, it’s a minor consideration for me. If one thinks about money while playing, co-relating every dropped stroke to thousands, one is bound to fumble. The stakes are high, no doubt. But a positive approach and a controlled mind is what it takes.”

In contrast, Calcutta’s Feroz Ali, a two-time Indian Open winner, says: “Money matters most. The pressure while playing is great,” while arguing that his clan of caddie-turned-pro golfers do not come from financially sound backgrounds.

Kahlon, with his wait-for-the-right-moment attitude, is surprised at the way amateurs have gone about turning pro. “Consider this. Not many of them have had good scores in amateur golf themselves but they want to make it big on a circuit that makes bigger demands. It’s bad for them and the game.”

He says that many would quit in frustration after a while without really achieving anything of note. “With the Indian circuit offering a full-fledged, lucrative circuit, every golfer could steer his career towards making it big in the world arena,” felt Kahlon, who now looks forward to February, when he plays the Asian Tour.