Having found success on the Japan Tour, conquered Asian courses, taken on the best in the business in America, and being a regular on the European circuit, there isn’t too many places that Jeev has not played golf in. So which was the toughest for him? “Well, links courses around Europe can be very hard, especially if the weather is not the best. But courses in the US are very challenging — they have hard greens and the rough makes it very difficult,” he said. No plans yet to get on the US PGA for the time though.

Insisting that it was the missing name in the resume of the ‘national Open’ that brought him to Delhi this time of the year, Jeev said he would try to tone down aggression on course where controlled play is what the doctor orders: “I’m not planning to take the driver out more than once or twice this week.” Meanwhile, Delhi Golf Club alumnus Shiv Kapur, is in Madrid, playing this week’s European Tour event Open de Madrid Valle Romano. Having earned full playing rights in Europe just this season, it was expected to be a watershed year for Kapur. A year blighted by injury, however, means that he is currently 97th on the order of merit and needs some good results towards the end to retain his card.

The DGC has seen many firsts for Indian golf, but in a first for the club this year, the course length has jumped the 7,000-yard mark after changes in the tee-box position of three holes.

... contd.