It?s time to ring in the New Year and 2008 has a lot in store for Indian golf enthusiasts. Two European Tour events ? the Emaar Indian Masters and the Johnnie Walker Classic scheduled for February, an action-packed season promising greater incentives on the PGTI Tour and better performances by Indian professionals around the world as they rub shoulders and compete with the best the game has to offer on bigger and better tours.
February is a busy month for golfers in north India as both the European Tour events make a stop in the country. While the Emaar Masters will be held at the historic Delhi Golf Club ? an ideal venue for our first ever European Tour event, the Johnnie Walker Classic will be held at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon. Ernie Els is amongst the leading European Tour professionals who will be seen in action at the Emaar Masters, as will India?s Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa, both regular contenders on the European Tour. Rumor has it that even Daniel Chopra and Arjun Atwal could be a part of the final line-up!
Meanwhile, the Johnnie Walker Classic will also see Ernie Els visit India for the second time and top professionals like Vijay Singh, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie will accompany him. The Johnnie Walker Classic is sanctioned between Australia, Europe, Asia and India and this is the first time that this prestigious event will stop in India. And while the European Tour has scored two events, the Asian Tour is sure to follow suit. So don?t be surprised if we see them in India for another event apart from the Indian Open.
Everyone will also be watching the PGTI Tour with keen interest as its true potential is yet to be realised. They have already taken the first step and extended their 2007-08 season till the end of the year so that from 2009 onwards they will be at par with other tours around the world for easier and better scheduling of events. However, they need more tournaments and many more sponsors, which is what the organisers will be working hard to find.
Professionally, the Women?s Golf Association of India has a head start over their male counterparts as they have already hosted their first European Tour event with much success and will now be looking to improve upon their first season. Expectations are high and we should see tougher competition and more events in the coming months.
All this attention from the golfing world can only mean one thing ? we have the potential to attract the best as well as the talent to make the game global. Jeev, Jyoti, Shiv Kapur and Gaurav Ghei shone last year.
Whose year will this be? Well, I would choose Gaganjeet Bhullar as the player to watch this year. He came close to winning his first Asian Tour event in his rookie season last year and there is no limit to what he can accomplish this year. So continue to watch this space as we follow the trials and tribulations of the year. And Happy Golfing!