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Jyoti aims to set Europe ablaze
Jyoti Randhawa currently stands 13th and his four missed cuts in eight outings in 2007 have been offset by good finishes, reports Khurram Habib.
These are good times for Indian golf. After Jeev Milkha Singh's rapid rise in world rankings, Gaurav Ghei shot himself out of hibernation, winning a couple of tournaments, including the China Open.
Even while these two were hitting the headlines, it was hard to leave out Jyoti Randhawa, who is silently inching upwards on the European Tour money list. At the moment he stands 13th, and his four missed cuts in eight outings in 2007 have been offset by good finishes — three of which have been inside top 10. "It has been a good last couple of weeks. We had been countering the vagaries of weather both these weeks and it was pretty difficult," he said upon arrival in Delhi. "But the result previous week was satisfying, particularly after I had started with a 3-over and managed to come second. It has pushed me up the list."
Jyoti finished second at the Open de Espana fighting off a competitive field, but last week at the Italia Open, he could manage only a 47th-place finish. "I was placed at the wrong end of the draw…some of us had to play our rounds in pieces…we couldn't get into a rhythm," he said. Jyoti will be playing in the Rs 65 lakh DLF Masters in Gurgaon this week after which he flies to Europe for three events. "I am making events on the Indian tour a regular feature because there is more incentive now.”
A look at his standing on the Asian Tour money list (66th) suggests he is concentrating more on the bigger stage. "Of course, there will be appearances on the Asian Tour, but for now I am concentrating on Europe. It is part of a plan through which I want to graduate to the USPGA as soon as possible."
