•Rajendra Khatry: How do you view your chances in the forthcoming World Cup?

We stand a great chance. Jyoti (Randhawa) and I have been in fine form over the last few months. The World Cup will be special because it is my first one. I will be playing for five months straight before I play in the World Cup and this will help me at the tournament.

•Vipin Pubby: Do you think golf should be included in the Olympics? And why did it take you so long to play in the World Cup?

Golf has been included in the Asian Games and I don’t see any reason why it should not feature in coming editions of the Olympics. The reason why golf has not been included in the Olympics is that the best players are professionals. In the case of tennis, professionals do take part in the Olympics and we have to follow the same criteria for other games too. As for the World Cup, every time I wanted to take part in it, I was busy on the tour. In the last two-three years, I was the defending champion in a couple of the tournaments and that’s why I had to give the World Cup a miss.

•Bharti Bedi: After India’s performance in the Olympics, much of the focus has shifted from cricket to other games. Do you think this will benefit golf?

Definitely. I was in the US during the Olympics and I heard about Abhinav Bindra, Sushil Kumar and Vijender. With players like Arjun Atwal, SSP Chaurasia and Jyoti Randhawa, the game is on a high in India. More and more girls are also playing golf. A lot of companies like ONGC, Indian Oil and Tata provide career opportunities to golf players and I think it is great for the game

... contd.