By Rahul Banerji
I last travelled to Hua Hin in Thailand for the 2012 edition of the Royal Trophy, now sadly defunct.
It was the fifth edition of the annual event dreamed up by the late Seve Ballesteros, a great advocate of team golf and held that year at the Black Mountain Golf Course.
Played on the lines of the America versus Europe Ryder Cup, the legendary Spaniard lived long enough to see five editions contested between Europe and Asia.
The close match in Hua Hun would be the last in his lifetime. It was played in January, and by May that year, a brain tumour claimed him at age 54.
Jeev was there
Jeev Milkha Singh, India’s pioneer in worldwide professional golf was a part of the Asia team led by non-playing captain Joe Ozaki, while Europe were captained by Colin Montgomerie.
Jeev was in action on all three days, losing his Friday foursomes 7&5 alongside Thai great Thongchai Jaidee.
The following day he teamed up with Korea’s Kim Kyung-tae to beat Johan Edfors and Henrik Stenson of Sweden 1-up.
Team Asia won every match on that historic Saturday to take a 6-2 lead into Sunday’s singles which Europe cleaned up but for two halved games for an eventual 9-7 scoreline.
Jeev lost to Spain’s Pablo Martin narrowly.
In 2014, the tournament was cancelled, and never revived. Ballesteros’ driving spirit had kept it going that long. Of the seven editions held, Europe won the Royal Trophy five times, and Asia twice.
Dream realised
It would have pleased Seve. His idea of spreading team golf around the world had been realised, even if it did not outlive him by very much.
Be that as it may, on our 2012 trip courtesy Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Black Mountain course was still a work in progress.
Mostly bare hills with newly-planted trees and shrubs were everywhere and the venue had a somewhat unfinished look to it.
Since then, Black Mountain has become one of the crown jewels of Thailand’s oldest golf developments. The first course was laid almost a hundred years ago and the area has come a long way since then.
Destination of the year
Fittingly therefore, Hua Hin was last month awarded by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) as the Golf Destination of the Year for Asia.
It was a second time win for Hua Hin in the category since 2014. Overall, it was the fifth such award for either a region of Thailand or the country itself.
The award was presented at the International Golf Travel Mart in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is voted for by specialist golf tour operators, who are members of IAGTO.
Thailand now boasts over 200 top-quality golf courses nationwide, attracting golfers from all around the world to play and attend international tournaments.
Located about 200 kilometres south of Bangkok, Hua Hin is the country’s oldest beach resort.
The summer retreat of Thailand’s Royal Family for more than 90 years, Hua Hin has long been a popular destination among Thais.
Indeed, it was where Thailand’s first golf course – Royal Hua Hin Golf Club – was built in 1924.
By the way, it also has the best seafood Thailand has to offer. Period.
Chikka stays ahead
Meanwhile, at the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational in Chandigarh on Saturday, S. Chikkarangappa of Bangalore produced the day’s best card of 68 to open a two-stroke lead over the field.
Heading into the final day of the Rs 1.5 crore event presented by Take Solutions, Chikka on 12-under 204 was two shots ahead of Karandeep Kochhar, who was on 10-under 206.
Gurgaon-based Jyoti Randhawa, a nine-time international winner and the most experienced player among the top contenders, was third on eight-under-208 after a third round of 71.
The day saw three stoppages in play due to lightning which resulted in an overall delay of two hours.
Read also: An Eye-opening Visit
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