Beef Johnston will return for another crack at Hero Indian Open

By Rahul Banerji

Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston has a score to settle at the Indian Open. The Englishman, who lost out narrowly to Matt Wallace at the 2018 edition has set his sights on another crack at the big prize when the 55^th edition of the tournament gets under way at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on March 28.

Last year, Johnston lost out narrowly to countryman and eventual winner Matt Wallace in a playoff despite scorching the DLF turf with a 6-under par 66 on the final day. He still had a chance in the playoff, but his birdie putt ran just wide, leaving Wallace a two-putt cushion for the $291,660 prize.

This year the popular Johnston, who always has time for a chat with fans and well-wishers, has promised to do his best to go one better at the $1.75 million event that has drawn a quality field including almost every top Indian player other than possibly Jeev Milkha Singh, besides in-form South African Brandon Stone and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger.

Current Asian Tour no. 1 Shubhankar Sharma, 2015 winner Anirban Lahiri, two-time champion Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia will lead the local challenge in a field that combines 54 entries from the European Tour, as many from the Asian Tour and 26 from the domestic PGTI, plus invitationals and others.

To be played on the testing Gary Player layout of the DLF Golf and Country Club, the 2019 edition will be the 14^th consecutive year that Hero MotoCorp, world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer and one of the biggest corporate promoters of sports around the world, is supporting the tournament.

More on his mind

This year, Johnston will have a second target in mind other than the title and winner’s purse. He wants to resume his love affair with Indian food, while for Stone, who shot a stunning 10-under final round to win the Scottish Open, it will be a first-time visit to Indian shores, and one he is looking forward to.

With less than two weeks to go before the tournament, entries are still coming in. Other Indian players in action will be the resurgent Shiv Kapur and Rahil Gangjee, and youngsters Ajeetesh Sandhu, Viraj Madappa, Khalin Joshi and S. Chikkarangappa all of whom had solid performance in 2018.

Firm commitment

Said J. Narain, sports advisor to Hero MotoCorp, “It is heartening to see such a strong Indian contingent and a world class field for the Hero Indian Open 2019.

“This will certainly attract more youngsters and budding golfers to come watch the tournament, which in turn will contribute towards the long-term growth of the game. At Hero MotoCorp, we have been title sponsors of the Indian Open for close to a decade and half and we remain firmly committed to the promotion of golf in India and around the world.”

Added Aakash Ohri of the host club,“The Gary Player course has the unique distinction of being the venue for both the men’s and women’s Indian Opens so well supported by Hero MotoCorp.

“The course, which is in pristine condition thanks to our hard-working greenkeeping staff, has proved to be a challenge for the best pros over the last few years and has been appreciated by all. We look forward to another exciting edition of the Hero Indian Open later this month.”

First Open since Peter Thomson’s passing

The 2019 Indian Open will also mark the first time the event will be held since the passing away of its inaugural winner, the legendary Peter Thomson, who also instrumental in making the Indian Open popular.

Thomson, a five-time British Open winner, also won the Indian Open three times in 1964, 1966 and 1976. Thomson, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988, passed away on June 20 last year at the age of 88.

Past Indian winners include P.G. (Billoo) Sethi (amateur, 1965); Ali Sher (1991 and 1993); Feroze Ali (1998), Arjun Atwal (1999), Jyoti Randhawa (2000, 2006, 2007); Vijay Kumar (2002); Chinnaswamy Muniyappa (2009); Anirban Lahiri (2015), S.S.P. Chawrasia (2016, 2017).

Also read: Indian pro golfers in action worldwide, Lahiri fires it up in Florida