Paes hooked to golf magic

Kolkata, Nov 23: After legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, tennis star Leander Paes has fallen for the exciting game of golf.
Paes, who took to golf six years ago, said that he felt charmed by the scenic beauty of a golf course and the romanticism of the greens and fairways. "The artificial obstacles motivate me. I really like the game," Paes told newspersons after playing a round of golf in the pro-am event of the royal challenge Grand Prix at the Tollygunge Golf Club course here.

Paes, who teamed up with ITC chairman Y C Deveshwar, ITC director Anup Singh and Grand Prix winner pro Mukesh Kumar, immensely enjoyed his session, and even hit some scintillating shots.

"Tennis is my profession, soccer my passion, but golf is my hobby. I always try to squeeze in some golfing time after six hours of tennis practice at my Orlando home in Florida," he said.



The veteran player, for years India's spearhead in the Davis Cup, said now he played 25-30 rounds of golf in a year, but would love to play more.



Describing golf as being close to tennis, Paes said both were individual games requiring tremendous amount of fitness.



"The game of clubs has undergone a sea change over the years. If you watch golf at the international level closely, you will be surprised to see the degree of fitness required in the game," he said.



"The Indian players now have also vastly improved their fitness," he said.

Bureau Report