Season to play golf and be merry

DECEMBER 18: The Asian PGA Tour, also called the Davidoff Tour, has been a boon, for Indian golf and for our professionals. Travelling all...

DECEMBER 18: The Asian PGA Tour, also called the Davidoff Tour, has been a boon, for Indian golf and for our professionals. Travelling all around Asia has its benefits, apart from the delayed flights and the odd time when players are told that an engine has failed and the flight has to turn back like it happened to Jeev Milkha Singh in Hong Kong last week. But from a golfing point of view, it is good for our golfers to compete on this tour, which is now considered a stepping stone to the European and USPGA Tours.

There is more good news for the regulars. The Asian PGA Tour has recently been given a world ranking, a status that it has been fighting for since its initiation. According to this ranking, players will earn points which will give them a standing on the Sony World Ranking.

It will also give them fringe benefits like sponsors, sponsorship deals, free equipment and spots to qualify for major championships. Playing par golf, which was at one time considered unbeatable, is no longer good enough towin. Consistency means shooting under par every single day as cuts often go at a couple under par or if players are lucky, at level par. One stroke up or down often means a few thousand dollars made or lost.

Story continues below this ad

Looking back at another year on the APGA tour, this is a time to celebrate for players like Kyi Hla Han who recently broke the $ 200,000 mark for prize money won in a single season. Also for Gerry Norquist who spent another year at the top, Indian Jyoti Randhawa, who just fell short of making a hundred thousand dollars and Fran Quinn, who may have spent some weeks moping around at home after failing to qualify for the USPGA tour. Instead, his wife packed him off to Bangkok and Shenzen, where he not only regained his enthusiasm, but won both events.

On the Indian PGA, which takes a brief break, it has been an equally good year for Vijay Kumar and Rohtas Singh. Vijay, for continuing from where he left last year and Rohtas, for getting back on the winning seat with three events already under his beltthis season.

Even though the tours take a break, if there is a perfect time to play golf, it is this. Even while watching the televised replay of the Australian PGA in Melbourne last week, where rain lashed down, I couldn’t think of anything else a golfer would prefer to do on a cold or windy day. Instead of sitting huddled up in our homes and offices, its wonderful to get out, hit the first tee and spend the afternoon under the sun. And for those of us who can afford to do so, the ideal time to tee off is around noon and one finishes as the sun sets, also one of the most beautiful times to be on a golf course, hitting into the huge orange ball as it disappears into the horizon.

last week’s results
PGAI: Patna Open
Winner: Vijay Kumar
APGA: Omega PGA Championship
Winner: Fran Quinn
Indians: Jeev Milkha Singh 15th, Jyoti Randhawa 29th, Amritinder Singh and Arjun Singh tied 40th.

Story continues below this ad

Golfer of the week
Kyi Hla Han: A veteran on the APGA, KyiHlan Han topped this year’s Order of Merit and became the first golfer on the APGA tour to earn more than $ 200,000 in a season.