Gaganjeet Bhullar opts for coach Verma at Paris Olympic Games

Olympic debutant Gaganjeet Bhullar (left) with coach Sundeep Verma.

By Rahul Banerji

Set to make his Olympic Games debut alongside Shubhankar Sharma in Paris next week, Gaganjeet Bhullar will be accompanied by Sundeep Verma to the French capital as his personal coach.

India will field a four-strong team in the golf event with Aditi Ashok making her third Olympic appearance after Rio and Tokyo and Diksha Dagar set for her second Summer Games. Chandigarh-based Dronacharya Awardee Jaskirat “Jesse” Grewal is coach of the India team.

Bhullar, India’s most successful golfer on the Asian Tour with 11 titles, will have domestic pro Ashbeer Saini on the bag at Paris.

The men’s individual golf competition will run from August 1 to 4 at Le Golf National, venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup, with the women’s event to follow.

Verma accompanied Diksha to the Tokyo Games and two-time Indian Open winner Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia to the Rio Olympics in 2016. In the past, he has worked with Jeev Milkha Singh, Anirban Lahiri, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur, and Shubhankar Sharma.

“It was quite natural to pick Sundeep as my coach. He has worked with me during my early professional days, Bhullar said in a statement.

“I used to look to him for advice regarding my golf swing and customisation of clubs. He has already been to the venue of the event twice and his observations will come in handy for me.

Past experience

“He also guided SSP and Diksha during the last two Olympic Games and understands the nuances of the game and how to handle pressure at a stage like this,” he added.

Verma was coach of the Indian amateur team that played the Eisenhower Trophy in 2022 at Le Golf National. He had previously visited the venue for the 2018 Open de France along with Chawrasia, a four-time winner on the European Tour.

“I am happy to be accompanying Bhullar to Paris and would love to pass on the learnings from Rio and Tokyo to him,” Verma said.

“I would say he is the most accomplished golfer of his generation. He is the first Indian to win a European Challenge Tour event in 2011 and has the highest number of Asian Tour titles as an Indian pro.

“Bhullar possesses the temperament and attacking mindset essential to perform well in big-ticket events like the Olympic Games. We will give it our best shot to return with a medal from Paris,” he added.

In all, the Indian Olympic Association will send a 257-strong contingent that includes 117 athletes and 140 support staff and coaches to Paris.