Who knows he could be the dark horse at next week’s Hero Honda Indian Open at the Delhi Golf Club. Despite having had half a dozen top-10 finishes in the last two years, Gaurav Ghei had been missing this one on his home ground. So it was not surprising when the Delhi golfer says how he is itching to tee off at the National Open where all top players will be vying with one another to lift the tropy.

Ghei must have felt cheated or plain unlucky when he missed the Indian Open title by a whisker on certain occasions. But, this time around, he wants to set the record straight.

“I have been playing well. I have had a win this year (Pine Valley Beijing Open) and a few other top-10s. I am very much in form and I can expect myself to give it a shot at the title,” said the Delhi golfer.

Ghei, who celebrated his 39th birthday last week, is currently lying sixth in the UBS Asian Tour Order of Merit and says his winning the Beijing Open was the best thing to happen to his career. “It was really big. I didn’t realise it till it happened. I felt very proud after the Beijing Open triumph,” he says.

The winner of three titles on Asian Tour, Ghei places the Indian Open on a high perch. “There is a different ring to a National Open. Almost all players want to win it. So it is no different with me,” he adds.

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