Muniyappa returns to happy hunting ground with high hopes

Gurgaon: C Muniyappa`s last visit to the DLF Golf and Country Club catapulted him from obscurity to

prominence and the reticent caddie-turned-pro returns to the same course on Thursday, hoping to make his mark in the Avantha Masters and live upto the expectation of his fans. The Bangalore pro was just another ambitious golfer who entered the Indian Open field four months ago, only to pull off a huge surprise and walk away with the title. As he gears up to chase another upset win, Muniyappa said it would all boil down to how he copes with his new-found fame and the expectations of home fans in the tri-sanctioned event. "Because of my win here last year, I gained quite a bit of publicity. I`ve more fans supporting me now and I hope not to let them down," said Muniyappa. "Expectations will be higher this time but that`ll only make me work harder. There`s a lot of pressure playing in front of your fans and mentally I`ve to be strong. If I can do that, I should be able to do well this week," said Muniyappa. Muniyappa, who grew up working as a caddie, earned a winner`s purse of close to USD 200,000 at the Indian Open and is waiting for the real estate prices to come down before purchasing a flat. He is enjoying the limelight but Muniyappa said he wants to remain a down-to-earth person. "I get more recognition now but I guess that`s also because everyone supports me as I come from a humble background. I don`t want to be treated like a big star. No matter whether I win or not, I still want to remain humble," said Muniyappa. Bureau Report