SSP Chowrasia confident of a good show at Panasonic Open India

New Delhi: After a string of good results this season, SSP Chowrasia, a two-time winner on Asian and European Tours in joint-sanctioned events, says he is confident of coming up with a good show in the Panasonic Open and is convinced that a win is not too far away.

"I'm confident of a good show here this week. The rigours of playing on the European Tour have helped me become a more confident player in Asia. I feel a win is not far away now," Chowrasia said on the eve of the Panasonic Open India 2014 here.

"I have been playing well and am hitting the ball confidently. It is just a question of things coming together and it could happen anytime," he added. Chowrasia has had a total of seven top-10 finishes this year on three different Tours -- the Asian, the European and the Asian Development Tours.

Giving Chowrasia a run for his money will be Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, who returns to competitive golf at the Panasonic Open India after being side-lined by an injury which hospitalised him for 15 days, besides the defending champion, Wade Ormsby, who has had a good season in Europe but came back to defend his first title.

Others in the fray will include S Chikkarangappa, winner of the Take Solutions ADT event last week, Chiragh Kumar, a former Indian Open runner-up at this course, Mardan Mamat, winner of the Indian Open at DGC exactly 10 years ago, and Rahil Gangjee.

The 2014 Panasonic Open India, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the PGTI, is staged in its fourth straight year. Past winners include India's Anirban Lahiri and Digvijay Singh.

Recalling some fond memories of the Delhi Golf Club, where he won his first joint-sanctioned event six years ago in 2008, Chowrasia said, "The DGC is definitely one of my favourite courses. I have some great memories of this course as it brings the best out of me. I like this course. It suits my game and I enjoy the atmosphere here."

Over the years he has had some terrific results at the famous tree-lined and challenging course. His last three appearances at the DGC have seen him finish in top-five. He was tied fifth at 2013 Panasonic Open, tied second at 2013 Hero Indian and then tied fourth at SAIL-SBI Open this year.

"I feel the scoring could be quite low this week with the fairways being softer and the ball not rolling into the jungle easily. I feel the a winning score could even be 18 to 20 under," said Chowrasia.

Talking of his strategy for the week, Chowrasia said, "One can only use the driver here if you're hitting it really straight. I left my driver in Kolkata this week. So, I'll be using the 3-wood off the tee on most occasions."

Chowrasia said next year would be crucial for him. "After the Panasonic Open, next on my agenda will be the European Tour Q-School which is the following week. Qualifying for the Olympics is also on my mind and I feel the 2015 season will be crucial for me in that regard," he said.