India will be a force to reckon with in golf: Jyoti Randhawa

New Delhi, Oct 19: The king of Indian greens, Jyoti Randhawa, in a no holds barred interview with Vineet Sharma of Zee News. Basking in the glory of becoming the second player after Peter Thomson to have won the Indian Open for the third time, he had the following things to say.It was a very stiff competition, how did it feel to achieve this amazing feat?

It felt great and I’m extremely happy for doing it. Personally, I just go out there and take every shot as it comes. I feel humbled when I’m called the Tiger Woods of India as I have miles to go before I can equal him, but I will try my best to make my country proud on the international circuit.

What is the edge you have over the competition? How do you keep your fitness levels up?

There is only a hairline difference between me and the other prominent golfers from India, you can say that I’m slightly fitter and thankfully, I have been able to deliver at the right time.

I keep my fitness levels up by indulging in a lot of sports. I am an avid swimmer, biker and shooter. These help me maintain a high degree of fitness and help me in honing my co-ordination on the greens.

What are the highest and lowest points in your golfing career?

I would say that my first wins at the Asian and Indian Tours are most special to me as they stemmed my belief in the game as a professional pursuit. I felt happy when Jeev Milkha Singh told me that I am a better player now and have improved tremendously over the years. It’s a great compliment coming from someone like him.

Indian golfers are doing well over the past few years, but why is it that major success eludes them?

A major reason for this is the fact that the golfers here don’t have the requisite mental and physical toughness that is essential at the highest level of the game. India is not a sporting country per-se but things are improving and I’m happy that golf is a sport, which is known in the country now.

Where do you see Indian golf scenario headed in the coming years? How can we make golf more popular in India?

Golf is a relatively new game in India as it has been present on the professional circuit for just 15 to 20 years now, but it has been steadily growing. I see the future of golf extremely bright in India in the coming years. We need to take concrete steps to insure that golf trickles down to the masses in the country to produce world-class golfers. We have a poor infrastructure for golfers and that needs to be sorted out. There must be public golf courses not just in the major cities, but in the smaller towns as well. Being a population of over a billion, there is a tremendous pool of talent that we must harness and build up to be recognized in the world.

It is heartening to see that media is playing a significant role in promoting the sport.

It is said that golf is an elitist sport and there have been rumours that one can encounter subtle hints of racism in the golfing fraternity. What is your take on this?

Personally I have not come across any racist incident in my entire career. As far as golf being an elitist sport is concerned, it is not so anymore with so many people taking up the sport worldwide and caddies turning into pros.

Your win is an inspiration to a lot of younger players, what mantra would you like to give them so that they can also taste success at the highest level?

I would like to tell them that there is no substitute of hard work. They must be willing to dedicate their life to this sport in order to gain the maximum satisfaction and recognition from it.

They must concentrate on their physical as well as mental fitness and must ensure that they get a basic coach right from the start to get a strong base on the technicalities of the game.

What are your plans for the coming year?

I will be headed for the European Tour very soon and I look forward to the competition there. It is usually tougher there as the competition is intense and the topmost players compete for a lot of pride and money. I will be trying my best to make a mark there and make my countrymen proud.

Who would you rate as a promising talent in the coming generation of golfers?

There are a lot of youngsters, who look very good in the present scenario. Some of the names that come to my mind right now are Karamjeet Bhullar, Ashok Kumar, Himmat Singh Rai and even my nephew is doing a good job.

The best part about these guys is that they are very young and have more than two decades of golfing left in them. If they train well and concentrate on the game consistently, I’m sure that India will be a force to reckon with in the field of golf in the coming years.