This week?s column can only be about one professional golfer ? SSP Chowrasia. His victory at the European Tour?s co-sanctioned US$2.5 million Indian Masters, which concluded at the Delhi Golf Club last Sunday has just proved that he can not only take on the best, but is ready to play golf at a higher level.
Chowrasia ? also known as Chip-Putt Chowrasia for his excellent short game skills ? earned a two-year exemption to play the European Tour after running away with the title at the country?s first European Tour co-sanctioned event. The winner?s cheque of rupees one crore and sixty lakhs made him the recipient of the biggest prize money cheque in Indian sport but above all this, it gave him the thrill and exhilaration of beating European Tour regulars like world number three Ernie Els, Thomas Bjorn, David Howell, Darren Clarke and Andrew Coltart.
With this victory the young Kolkatan is prepared to take on all that the European Tour has to offer on a daily basis and is packing his bags for Europe.
An entire golfing nation cheered on SSP this weekend as the ever-smiling golf professional won many hearts with his good natured behaviour on the course. He is never seen throwing clubs or bashing the course but greets each missed putt with a shrug or a smile. Such positivism needs to be rewarded.
Furthermore, he has been burnt more than once. He missed two Indian Open titles closely ? most recently to Jyoti Randhawa in 2006 and before that to Arjun Atwal in Kolkata in 1999. But he has been on the threshold of carding his first major victory and came close yet again on the Asian Tour when he carded a 13-under-par in 36-holes to lead the Mercuries Masters in Taiwan in 2006. However, luck was not on his side as he failed to sign his card and had to be disqualified. So this victory was overdue and well deserved.
The son of a green keeper, SSP has grown up just across the boundary of the Royal Calcutta Golf Course. He has proved that the game is not elitist as everyone in the country likes to generalise. As I write this column he is being honoured and made a member of the Royal Calcutta Golf Course. There is no limit to what he can achieve now that he has joined the league of India?s European Tour title holders like Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal.
He is undoubtedly the player to watch this year!
