How Gaurav Ghei helped script history at St Andrews

By Rahul Banerji

Winning the Gadgil Western Masters was the most emotional moment in his career, recalls Gaurav Ghei. It was also the start of a long and successful run for the storied Indian golf professional.

It is interesting that many of his achievements coincided with defining moments for Indian golf as the Professional Golf Tour of India noted in the course of an exhaustive interview with the 51-year-old..

In 1996, Ghei made international headlines when he defeated Colin Montgomerie, then world no. 2, in the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St. Andrews as India stunned Scotland 2-1 in a best-of-three contest.

The other two members of the Indian team were Jeev Milkha Singh and Ali Sher.

“It was an extremely windy day when we beat defending champions Scotland,” Ghei told the PGTI.

“I defeated Monty 77-78 and then I remember Monty went to the press room and said that he just had a bad day but was still confident that his team was going to win.

“That’s when journalists present pointed out that in fact India had won the encounter as Jeev Milkha Singh had won his playoff against Andrew Coltart after both were tied in regulation play.

A significant first

Ghei then helped script another breakthrough at the home of golf as he became the first Indian to play at a Major after qualifying for the British Open 1997 held at Royal Troon.

“The Open has always been my favourite event. As a kid, I always dreamt of playing at The Open.

“I played the qualifying on a Monday and finished second. By the time I got to know I had qualified it was around 7 pm.

“The next morning I was at Troon for the practice round. It was awesome just to be there and to soak in the occasion.

“Sharing a locker room with Phil Mickelson and seeing Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson across the corridor because they had the Champions locker room is something that will stay with me for life.

“I just love Scotland as a golfing destination for the sheer beauty of the courses and the golfing history associated with it.

“I grew up watching The Open on tape and loved the way the courses were. After playing in Scotland, I realized that one is required to play a totally different brand of golf at the links courses there.

Successful spell

Ghei, who credits acclaimed coach Claude Harmon for helping improve his ball-striking, had an outstanding season on the domestic circuit in 1996-97 as he won five events and went on to clinch the Order of Merit title.

For good measure, he added the Asian Tour’s Johnnie Walker Asian Player of the Year Award in 1997.

The clean-hitting golfer was to enjoy further success on the Asian Tour a few years later with victories at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters 2006 and Pine Valley Beijing Open 2007.

“The win at the Pine Valley Beijing Open is the most cherished moment of my career. Eleven years after winning Gadgil, I won the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and then came the win at Beijing a year later.

“I wanted to prove to myself that winning in Taiwan in 2006 wasn’t a fluke. That’s the reason the victory in Beijing was all the more sweet.

“The fact that Jack Nicklaus was actually present during the tournament week in Beijing was also something very special for me.

“I got to meet him on the driving range. I’ve always admired Nicklaus for having the best record at the Majors and also for the way he’s handled his family life, business and golfing career.

“I can’t think of any other sportsperson who’s handled these aspects of life better.”

Big strides

Gaurav, who represented India at the World Cup of Golf on three occasions (1997, 2003, 2007) and won 17 times on the domestic circuit, is pleased to see the progress Indian professional golf has made in recent times.

He said, “Professional golf in India has made huge strides in recent years which can be attributed to having a strong domestic tour in the form of the PGTI.

“The PGTI has over the last decade and a half provided an ideal platform for our professionals to hone their skills before moving on to higher tours.

“It is a highly competitive tour and on many occasions there is not much difference between the depth of the fields on the Asian Tour and the PGTI.”

Second innings

Last October, Ghei won an Asian Seniors Tour event in Bangkok, Thailand. He has also made it to the Final Stage of Qualifying of the European Senior Tour over the last two years.

Ever since the DGC reopened after the lockdown in May, the seasoned golfer has his sights firmly set on qualifying for next year’s Senior British Open.

Ghei signed off with some sound advice for youngsters who want to become professional golfers,

“You need to play it like a sport and enjoy it. That’s how you will get longevity and not burn out.

“If you have fun playing it, then you don’t mind putting in the hard work and hitting balls all day.

“Dealing with adversity in my personal life during the peak of my playing career taught me that life is a lot more than just playing golf so you should be grateful for just being able to play the sport you love.” 

(Concluded)

Also read: Jeev reflects on a productive career, says self-belief is key