Want to see an Indian set sail

The SAIL Open has got off to a great start at the superbly conditioned Delhi Golf Club, with the top Indian players shining and many at the top of the leaderboard. With so many of Asia’s top players in the field of 156 and some 80 foreign professionals from as far away as the US, Sweden, Japan and Australia it’s no wonder we are seeing some good scores, says Amandeep Johl.

The SAIL Open has got off to a great start at the superbly conditioned Delhi Golf Club, with the top Indian players shining and many at the top of the leaderboard. With so many of Asia’s top players in the field of 156 and some 80 foreign professionals from as far away as the US, Sweden, Japan and Australia it’s no wonder we are seeing some good scores. Of course, the course is notorious for destroying a round quickly as the thick thorny bushes on both sides of the fairways are merciless on missed shots.

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I hit the ball pretty well today but my putting was a bit off so I ended with a two over 74. Could have easily been under par. The cut-off tomorrow for the last two rounds is likely to be under par if the wind stays light like it was today. But, on this course, if the wind speeds pick up, we could see scores go up sharply.

Personally, I would love to see one of our young Indians end up with the title — like the 21-yr-old Gaganjeet Bhullar, who of course has two Asian Tour wins already, or Anirban Lahiri, who finished third at the Indian Open last October, or even Himmat Rai, who has yet to taste a big finish but certainly has the potential. All of them are extremely disciplined and great role models for the kids in the country.

It’s also nice to hear that SAIL is organising a kids clinics on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Delhi Golf Club has some 100 kids enrolled as student players and they are going to volunteer on the final two days, helping with the scoring and other administrative areas. It’s great for the kids to get close to the pros and learn by watching their behaviour and technique. Later a clinic by the same guys is sure to get the kids really excited.