It's such a great feeling to relax after winning. I am taking a week off after winning the Lexus International last week at Bangkok, and I am enjoying every minute of it. I love spending my time in Chandigarh along with my parents whenever I can and it is a big change from the nomadic life of a pro golfer.However, there is a certain kind of anxiety as well this week. The Hero Honda Masters '99, a tournament very dear to me, as it is sponsored by my personal sponsors, starts at the Delhi Golf Club from Thursday. While I am conditioning myself to take each tournament as it comes, there is something special about the Hero Honda Masters.I would be lying if I say that I feel no pressure when playing a tournament in India. There are huge expectations and everyone keeps telling me to win the event. The flip side is, while there is pressure, I enjoy such situations. I feel it brings out the best in me.My preparation for the coming week is simple - I am practising here in Chandigarh but not vigorously. And Ikeep telling myself that come what may, just go out and enjoy the tournament. It has a great atmosphere, perhaps one of the best in the Asian PGA Tour, and I know almost everyone out there. I would like to win, but if I can't, that's okay as well. I am just going to give my 100 per cent and not worry about the results.There was some good news waiting for me in Chandigarh. I have been invited to play the million-dollar Amco Open, an event on the Japanese PGA Tour, the week after Hero Honda Masters. Thanks to my performance in Europe and Kirin Open in Japan earlier this year, I am getting a lot of invitations from there. The Japanese PGA Tour is as competitive as the European Tour and it will be a good experience playing there.Coming to my victory in the Lexus International, I did only one thing differently and that changed the entire equation. Earlier, whenever I entered a playoff, I used to have negative thoughts about what went wrong in the previous 72 holes. I used to tell myself that I messed it up.That affected my confidence in the playoffs and thus the three losses in last one year.In Bangkok, I told myself: "Just forget about what happened in the scheduled number of holes. Now that you have got into a playoff, just concentrate and try to win it from here." Just that much of positive thinking made all the difference.The tournament will be etched in my memory for another reason - I scored my first hole-in-one in tournament play. On the third hole on day one, I hit a perfect, straight as an arrow nine-iron shot off the tee. It pitched about eight feet shy of the cup and gently rolled in.This is the third time in three tournaments that I have gone two-under on a par-3 or par-4 hole. I holed my second shots from about 108 yards during Trophee Lancome and the Alfred Dunhill Cup on par-4 holes for eagles. Am I hitting the perfect shot? I certainly would love to do so, but I am sure Lady Luck has got a huge role to play on all three occasions. Here is hoping that she continues to smile on me thenext week as well.(Tiger Sports Marketing)
