Half a dozen Ryder Cup stars will throw an intimidating challenge but India's in-form golfers would be up for it after morale-boosting starts to the year when the tri-sanctioned Avantha Masters begins tomorrow at the famed Jaypee Greens Golf Course here.
The league's first and only Indian winner is the ever-smiling SSP Chowrasia, who secured the crown in 2011. But last year, not one of the famous Indian star golfers figured in even the top-20 and ties.
"I've played Jaypee Greens many times, so I know what to expect. The fairways are quite wide, so unless the rough is very thick I think the scoring will be quite low," said Chowrasia, who is a two-time European Tour winner having emerged victorious at the 2008 Indian Masters.
"After my win in 2011, I thought I could do anything. Winning once on the European Tour is one thing; but if you then win again, it shows it wasn't down to luck the first time. I feel like I'm now a much better player than I was when I won for the first time in 2008," he added.
The Indians, in fact, would be truly a major force to reckon with given their performances so far.
Among the top contenders is Anirban Lahiri, fresh from the Asian Tour's SAIL-SBI Open title triumph last week. The celebrated pros in the fray would include Jeev Milkha Singh, who is injury-free and in decent form, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur and Chowrasia.
Not one to be considered to be out is Challenge Tour champion Gaganjeet Bhullar who would be competing to take home the biggest share of the euro 1.8million prize fund. Perhaps, it would be also a real treat for the golfers in obtaining the desired benefits for sure.
The Indians will be up against a strong field, the undisputed star of which is Colin Montgomerie who creates quite a furore on the field with his acumen for the sport.
The Scot, who captained Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2010, has won 31 European Tour titles. Two of them came in Asia in a scintillating career. Indian golfers are on a high with most of the players showing up with best performances in recent times. Ace golfer Shiv Kapur too has done the country proud by getting involved himself into major tournaments in a consistent fashion. It all depends upon the quality of golfing that is considered to be ideal for all those who would like to experience the best results on an overall.
"Whenever I have visited this fascinating country in the past, I have always found the people to be both very friendly and enthusiastic about golf," he said. After getting through all these significant developments, it can be determined that the Indian golfing stars will have a blast for sure at the tournament in a significant manner. Perhaps, this will reflect the how far the sub-continent players will be effective at their home ground or outside of it. Giving a gritty performance is what on every Indian golf player’s mind.
