Robin Bose

Indian golf scores a birdie: three back-to-back Asian Tour events

Billed the “India swing”, the tournaments will bring much-needed respite for pros after prolonged lockdown.

Grounded Lahiri waits patiently as PGA Tour gets to starting block

“If I were to play the Charles Schwab Challenge (June 11-14 at Fort Worth, Texas) I should have left by now,” said Lahiri.

Day One of liberation, says Jeev Milkha Singh

Even under strict medical protocol, India’s top golfers elated after getting back on course in Chandigarh and Delhi.

Golfer Muniyappa finds the rub of his village green

When Muniyappa, 43, returned home from a domestic event in Kolkata in mid-March, talk was rife that the pandemic was about to bring life to a standstill. “If that happened, all facilities (including the Karnataka Golf Association course in Bengaluru where he practices) would shut down,” he recalled hearing.

Nose-diving salaries the new normal for athletes worldwide

UNCERTAIN FUTURE: The pandemic has indefinitely scuttled major sport events, leading to reduced pays, furlough

‘We’ve been bowled a yorker that’s taken the middle stump’

In an interview With Hindustan Times, Asian Tour commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant, who is based in Singapore, spoke on the challenges following lockdown and the road ahead.

After double whammy, PGTI order of merit champion felled by lockdown

Things appeared to be looking up at the start of 2020 before the pandemic struck; leaving Das and those like him dependent solely on earnings from the PGTI in uncertainty after events got postponed.

Play golf till the sun shines: How Jeev Milkha remembers mentor Doug Sanders

In our part of the world, a recipient of Sanders’ generosity is Jeev Milkha Singh, and when news of the 86-year-old’s natural death trickled in late on April 12, Singh was wistful.

Teamwork: Golfers, clubs come to the aid of daily-wage caddies

Diksha Dagar to defend title at South African Women’s Open

The change in status, which was followed by appearances in two Majors last season, has been aided by frequent change of equipment for Diksha Dagar.

Home greens power Rashid’s Tokyo dream

Playing at home has always worked well for Rashid Khan. He played just five Asian Tour events in 2013, four of which were at home, and finished top four in two to bounce back after losing his Asian Tour card earlier in the year.

Tennis buff Kartik Sharma has big dreams in golf

Kartik’s training partner in tennis was Roopak, but when the elder brother stopped to prepare for his engineering entrance examinations, Kartik found himself at a loose end

Korean kid Joohyung Kim strings surreal win

What he was clear about was the hardships his parents had gone through to ensure their widely travelled son got here and added one more destination of note to his short but eventful career.

Lifestyle change works wonders for Siddikur

Biryani is a traditional favourite but Siddikur Rahman declared he would never go out of the way and order one.

Confident Karandeep Kochhar in the thick of things

Playing on country exemption and outside the top-100 on the Asian Tour’s order of merit, this week and the next in Malaysia are crucial as he looks to break into the top-60 or at least 100 for more playing opportunities.

Amid smog, Prasad tries to put behind poor season

A quick learner, a trait he’s shown since he took to golf at eight, proof of Prasad’s growing maturity lay in the birdie on the 15th.

Shubhankar Sharma looks to rise in Sun City, shine in Dubai

Ranked 61st on the Race to Dubai (order of merit), another top-10 will see Sharma make it comfortably to Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates as part of the top 50.

Asia secured, Ajeetesh Sandhu keen on Japan

Sandhu will tee off on Thursday at the Classic Golf and Country Club with an envious record in this $400,000 event—two top-three finishes in as many years.

In mourning, Joshi up for title defence

As he defends his title this week at the $400,000 event, Joshi spoke of being in a state not long ago where he had “lost belief”, and going with it, a mere look at the giant posters announcing his stature at the Classic Golf and Country Club would have been unsettling.

Mukesh aces the longevity challenge

Mukesh went on to become one of most accurate ball strikers on the Professional Golf Association of India (PGAI), and now the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

Wolf buries ghosts of past, lifts Women’s Indian Open title

It was here last year that Wolf had seen her title hopes evaporate, and on Sunday, the heart must have skipped a beat despite the three-shot lead over Marianne Skarpnord.

Golfer Wolf determined to make up for last year’s heartbreak

While that’s a reason for one of Wolf’s steadiest shows at any Ladies European Tour (LET) tournament, the perils of hitting the golf ball over the expanse of water on to the 18th green have consumed her.

‘Edgy’ MacLaren slips from lead but hopes to turn it around

It’s a strategy that paid off at a time when it was about grinding it out as one missed cut followed another.

Hillier, MacLaren in joint lead at Indian Open golf

Viewing the pristine expanse from the 10th tee box of the DLF Golf and Country Club, the 28-year-old Australian, who finished on Thursday tied for the lead at five-under 67 with Briton Meghan MacLaren, liked what she saw.

Tvesa’s journey from a volunteer to contender

Malik, who finished Tied-13th in the last edition, will regard herself as a prime contender at the tournament which begins at the DLF course this Thursday

Indonesia’s Rory finds Asian Tour high at last

“Today was the toughest day and I could not afford to think of winning,” said Rory Hie

Calmer Abhijit Chadha mounts serious challenge on title

While Abhijit still refrains from throwing clubs when upset, like the couple of lip-outs on Saturday but for which he could have had the lead going into the final day of the Classic Golf & Country Club International Championship instead of being two shots back (15-under 201).

Lone wolf Aman Raj eyes breakthrough

Aman owes it to his father Shashi Raj Sinha, a top amateur of his time, that he taught Aman in a way that the son has had little trouble adapting to superior surfaces.

Rashid Khan on the rise after slump

Rashid Khan had the option of skipping the initial stages of Q-School and going to the final stage in December, but he chose not to.

Young Viraj Madappa keen to build on 2018 breakthrough

Since the win at the Take Solutions Masters in August last year, Madappa has been on the road for long stretches and often ended a week without success.