Gaganjeet Bhullar interacts with the media ahead of the 58th Hero Indian Open which tees off at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on Thursday. Image courtesy HIO.
By Rahul Banerji
He has won 11 Asian Tour titles and has one DP World (European) Tour title under his belt, but the Hero Indian Open has stayed out of reach so far for Gaganjeet Bhullar.
India’s most successful face on the Asian Tour, Bhullar knows winning the national Open is unfinished business as far as he is concerned.
Said the Jalandhar golfer on Tuesday ahead of the 58th edition of the Hero Indian Open, “I would love to have my name on this trophy. But you got to just play well those four days.
“And I think in the past I’ve not been able to do that in the Indian Open. I’ve done it outside India. But this time or next time, whenever I get an opportunity, I think I will definitely be right up there.”
Now 36 and with a 18-year long career as a tour professional, Bhullar is a seasoned warrior and his words carry weight in light of his experience and achievements around the continent. “This is our home event, the Hero Indian Open.
“I’ve been playing this event ever since I turned pro, my first Indian Open was back in 2007. And honestly, looking at my record, I’ve never had an international win in India.
“So that’s definitely on the back of my mind. I have played well in DLF. I would love to win this tournament one day. I started my professional golf on PGTI and my entry first time was through the PGTI and then I joined the Asian Tour.
Meaningful win
“This event was part of the Asian Tour for many, many years. Now, it’s a proud collaboration with the DP World Tour. I think winning this event would mean a lot for Indian fans, I would say, because that gives a very positive message to the youth.
“So from that point of view, I think it will be a great moment if myself or anybody from among us goes out and wins this week. Jyoti Randhawa won this event two years in a row and then SSP (Chawrasia) won twice,
“Anirban also won. So because of that, you see a lot of participation among youngsters because kids do get inspired. And you will definitely see a lot of kids who will come and follow us on the weekend.
“So whatever we do, it’s basically for the next generation. And I think all these names which I said, they have made our country proud. If today I can inspire the next generation of Indian golfers that would be great.
On what it would take for a home winner at the national Open, Bhullaradded, “SSP won here. And SSP was not at all a long ball striker or a long driver of the tee. Again, a lot of elements, a lot of situations.
“Last year, Veer was right up there. Had he had a good first two rounds, he would have definitely been in the hunt.”
Coming in light
On his own form and expectations ahead of the Indian Open, Bhullar said, “This year I’ve only played three tournaments. Last week was Macau. Every day I hit 15, 16 greens in regulation. So I thought I drove the ball well. I thought I hit the ball well.
“But somehow I was struggling with scoring. So this week I’m definitely going to work on that. Coming to this week, we played this golf course about a month ago. And at that time the course was playing a little soft.
“I definitely feel that the course is playing a little tougher and little harder from what we played last month. So, the key would be hitting lots and lots of fairways and holing lots and lots of putts.
“The key here is not only hitting the ball well or hitting the ball straight, you’ve got to hit it close because the greens are so undulating and treacherous that one needs to avoid three putts this week.”
Asked to predict a winning score come Sunday, Bhullar was ambivalent. “It’s very difficult to say, to be honest. Because a lot depends on the wind as well.
“Yesterday was not at all windy, today I don’t see any wind. But during this time of the year, March end in North India, we do get a of westerly disturbances, wind. So it all depends on that. But I definitely see a double digit winning total this week.”
Also read: Brilliant Bhullar makes history with Indonesian Open treble
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