From the history tEE

Champs down the years

1965: PG (Billoo) Sethi

1998: Feroz Ali

1999: Arjun Atwal

2002: Vijay Kumar

2009: C. Muniyappa

2000, 2006 and 2007: Jyoti Randhawa

Let us thank the British for introducing to India a gentleman’s sport in the form of golf.

It was way back in the 18th century that one witnessed the mushrooming of golf clubs in the country. However, a milestone year in the history of Indian golf was 1955 when the Indian Golf Union was established. The objective of the body was crystal clear — to promote all facets of the game and maintain high standards of golf in the country.

The Union was instrumental in launching one of the iconic Championships on the Asian Tour, the Indian Open. The first Indian Open was played at the Delhi Golf Club in 1964.

Peter Thomson, a great friend of Indian golf and a five-time British Open Champion, was the first winner and with his untiring efforts of making time to play this annual event, we were blessed to have a parade of enviable international winners, many of whom found success on the more lucrative US PGA Tour. Thomson went on to clinch the tournament twice — in 1966 and 1976. His encouragement also spurred on old-time professionals like Shadi Lal, Ruda Valji and Arjuna awardee SK Jamshed to start the trend of making Indians believe that they could compete in the professional ranks.

Indians at the Open

The headlines however were grabbed by an Indian amateur in 1965, the second year of the event. PG (Billoo) Sethi was the one who took on the baton of beating a strong foreign contingent. On a par-73 Royal Calcutta Golf Course, Sethi shot five-under 68s on the opening two days to win by a huge margin of seven strokes.

In 1970, the Indian Open received a major boost when it was recognised as a part of the Asian Golf Circuit and the field only became stronger in the years to come. In 1971 at Delhi, Australian Graham Marsh and David Graham, winner of two Majors, were involved in a thrilling duel with Marsh winning by one stroke on the final day.

While the heroic effort by Billoo Sethi became the high point in the history of Indian golf and we had some success in the amateur game when we won the Nomura Cup in 1973, Asian Games Team and Individual medal in 1982 and the World Cup Asia-Pacific qualifiers in Singapore and Fiji in 1983 and 1984, it was a long wait till 1991 to crown another Indian at the Indian Open.

Ali Sher honed his skills at the Delhi Golf Club, came from the weaker strata of society but dared to dream big. He annexed the title in 1991 and 1993. His performance was truly the turning point for pro golf as from then on the Indian professionals went from just being a part of the field to be the ones to beat!

Accolades and awards poured in for Ali Sher and he was conferred the Arjuna Award as well as an honorary membership of the Delhi Golf Club, something that even the most well-to-do businessmen have to wait for more than 20 years after applying. The whole perception about Indian golf changed in those two years.

In 1995, Gaurav Ghei won the USD 500000 Gadgil Masters, the richest prize money event to be played on Indian soil when he chipped in on the 72nd hole, pipping another local home-grown hero Vijay Kumar who later was rewarded when he went on to win the Indian Open in 2002.

By 1998, Indian golfers were a force to reckon with on the Asian circuit. During the 1998 Indian Open, local boy Feroz Ali set RCGC on fire as he beat some of the biggest names to win the title and the accompanying cheque of $ 50,010. Playing consistent golf throughout, Feroz aggregated 14-under 274, five strokes clear of the runner-up Dean Wilson of the USA.

Watching from the sidelines was Arjun Atwal who won the Indian Open in 1999 before breaking through on the European Tour and, finally, cutting his teeth on the PGA tour where he has played regularly for more than a decade and has the distinction of winning the Wyndham Championship — a feat which only he has to his credit.

Jyoti Randhawa won the 1998 and ’99 Hero Honda Masters to become only the second player in the history of Asian PGA Tour to successfully defend his title. Randhawa also triumphed in the 2000 Wills Indian Open and repeated the feat in 2006 and 2007. He is clearly the most successful Indian professional in dollar events hosted at home.

Unheralded C. Muniyappa from the KGA, which has quickly become one of the finest courses of the country, enjoyed winning on his home course and he was the 7th and last Indian to win the Indian Open, in 2009.

ROLE OF THE IGU

What is heartening to see however is the Indian Golf Union’s (IGU) effort from its various amateur tours producing some quality professionals like Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahiri, Himmat Rai and Sharmila Nicollet among the ladies.

Jeev Milkha Singh, Shiv Kapur, Rahil Gangjee may not have won international events in India but have done fantastically well in Asia, Japan and Europe, so Indian golf is headed in the right direction. The clock has come full circle, while Peter Thomson has the distinction of annexing the title three times, Jyoti Randhawa has followed in the same footsteps and we look forward to even more success for our home-grown players in the years to come.

Our top players would be looking to strike gold at the championship this year. The support received from multiple sponsors with a special mention of ITC Ltd, VST and Hero Group has made this event what it is today.

The stage is set and the carpet has been rolled out to witness the 50th edition of the coveted Indian Open at the Delhi Golf Club. With a star line-up, the field will be at its best this year with over 30 Tour champions and five players from the current top 10 of the Order of Merit.

Who is your favourite Indian golfer? Tell t2@abp.in