India?s Daniel Chopra became the first professional golfer of Indian origin to win a USPGA Tour event – the highest level of the game – when he won the US$ 4.5 million Ginn sur Mer Classic at Tesoro last week. I say Indian because though he holds a Swedish passport, those who know him are well aware that he opted for Swedish nationality when he was playing the European Tour as it made it much easier for him to travel around the world. So this is definitely not a case of us wanting to adopt him just because he has gained international recognition.
Indian professional golfers are making headlines the world over and Daniel has proved yet again that they have the ability to rub shoulders against the best in the world. He has held his own against the best professional golfers in the world and is one of the best ambassadors of the country today.
Daniel started playing golf at the Delhi Golf Club, which he still calls home. I personally remember watching him spend hours practicing on the driving range – creating shots, even chipping into dustbins while he waited for his caddie to bring back his practice balls. He is a good ball striker, but moreover, the years spent chipping into dustbins and playing out of tough lies in bunkers, not to mention the dreaded DGC bushes, has resulted in an almost perfect short game.
Life on the tour can be tough but his wife Samantha – who is his biggest asset – has been with him every step of the way and has helped Daniel get to where he is today. It took him 133 starts to eventually achieve his life?s dream but it was well worth every bit of the effort.
Victory on Sunday earned him US$ 810,000, taking his career earnings to just short of five million dollars and a two-year exemption to play the PGA Tour. And it also moved him from 104 th to 46th on the PGA Tour Money Leaders.
Daniel?s victory is the biggest milestone for Indian professional golf. It once again proves that Indian professionals have the skills to succeed on the PGA Tour, where Arjun Atwal also currently plies his trade. But most importantly it also signals that they can win on the PGA Tour, which till now very few people from the golfing fraternity thought possible.
Yet as he himself says, his heart has always remained Indian. During the last visit he paid to the city, Daniel and Samantha donated money for the Earthquake Relief Fund and they even reprimanded a journalist who insisted on referring to Daniel as a foreigner.
I am sure he will be a great role model for the younger generation while the rest of us can only watch in awe. However, he has definitely raised our expectations – we want more – and we will continue watching Daniel?s progress. Way to go, Daniel!