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.

Ghei, who calls the DGC his ‘second home’, spends more time at the course whenever he is in Delhi. What does he think about the course this year? “It’s always a challenge to play at the DGC.What is striking about the change this year is the rough, which is higher than ever before. The score could be much higher than last year, when Jyoti, Chowrasia and Vijay tied at 18-under.”

Talking on his prospects, Ghei says he is determined to do well this year. “I was fourth when Jim Rutledge won. Since then I have come close to winning the Indian Open many times, but just fallen short. I was fifth once in Kolkata and then I missed getting into the play-off by one shot in 2000, when Jyoti Randhawa beat Sammy Daniels, and then I was second to Thaworn Wiratchant in 2005. Last year also I was seventh, so there’s been a few top-10s there,” he says on his tryst with India’s longest running sporting event.

Though he is a bit apprehensive about who could be this year’s winner, Ghei put both Jeev and Jyoti among his favourties. “It is Jeev’s first appearance after a long time and he has had a great 2006. Jyoti is without doubt the most consistent Indian golfer in recent years and then there’s foreign players like Thaworn and China’s Liang,” he said.