By Abhishek Roy, IANS
New Delhi : The traditional Lodhi Course of the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) has been a hit among European golfers taking part in the ongoing EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters.
The Lodhi Course has always been difficult to play on and only home golfers like Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur have had an impressive record here. However, some of the European golfers playing in the event, which offers prize money of $2.5 million, have found a liking for this course.
The bushes, which are very close to the fairway, makes the par-72 a dreaded course for the golfers and being aggressive at some holes, which are par-5, may invite danger. But it is the challenges that are attracting golfers to this course.
For world No.4 Ernie Els, who is top-ranked in this European Tour event, the course makes him feel at home, and it reminds Englishman Benn Burham of the Canterbury Golf Course.
“I have played on lot of courses around the world but this course reminds me of South Africa. The type of grass and the vegetation in an around the course is very much like home. The layout is also very old and the best thing is that no hole is similar to each other. It is a true and a classy golf course,” said Els.
The South African, however, didn’t have a good first round as the Lodhi Course showed its true colours and bit him hard. The golfer faltered badly on the first day as he made four over on the par-5 18th hole.
Burham, who was also up the leader board on the first day, said: “It is one of those courses where if you keep it in play, the chances to make birdies are always there. In the morning I told my caddie, when we were on the third or the fourth that Canterbury is very tight and you have to keep the ball in play there. It is the same here as well so I feel quiet at home.”
Swedish Thomas Bjorn, who played in the lead group with Els and Jeev Milkha Singh, said: “It was fun playing on this course. This course shows that a golf course doesn’t need to be long to be difficult. And now we have got so used to modern day big courses we have forgotten that courses like this do exists.”