Indian Open: Chopra hopes to rediscover form on home course

Daniel Chopra said his excitement is fairly high as he prepares to tee off at the Hero Honda Indian Open here tomorrow.

New Delhi: It has been a wretched year so far for Daniel Chopra but having recovered from an elbow injury and worked out the shortcomings in his game, the Indo-Swede golfer today said his excitement is fairly high as he prepares to tee off at the Hero Honda Indian Open here tomorrow.

Chopra, who grew up playing at the Delhi Golf Course -- where the USD 1.25 million event would be staged -- has, however, kept his expectations low. "I am trying to keep the expectations low but my excitement is fairly high," said the 36-year-old, who reached the capital only this morning after having problems in securing his visa. "I got some help from the government of India, from some powerful friends in the immigration. I got a visa in 15 minutes from New York. I got here at 4 this morning," he revealed. It has been a struggle to make cuts this year but Chopra said it is behind him now as new coach Mitchel Spearman has helped him find the "secret stuff" that he wanted to incorporate in his game for the past 10 years. "It`s a trade secret. I am not going to reveal it. It is something that will take me to a new level," he laughed. "I am on the right track," assured the golfer, who has a couple of PGA Tour titles under his belt.” Looking back, Chopra said an elbow injury only compounded his woes in an already less-than-average season. "It`s not average, it`s much worse then that. It has been a bad season. I wasn`t playing that great even last year. I spent most of the time practicing...hours and hours of training," he said. "In my right elbow, I had tendinitis on the inside of my forearm. So, I was taking anti-inflammatory painkillers. It has been a vicious cycle," he said. "Nothing other than winning the Indian Open would salvage the year for me. If I don`t win here then I hope it would be a stepping stone to something better," he added. On the course conditions, Chopra said, "I have grown up playing here. So, I know the course and it`s excellent." PTI