By IANS,
Phuket : No less than 13 Indian golfers and one more with an Indian connection will tee off at the Singha Thailand Open starting here Thursday.
It may well be one of India’s largest ever contingents in an Asian Tour event outside Indian sub-continent.
Jyoti Randhawa will lead the Indian challenge that will also see Shiv Kapur, Gaurav Ghei, Rahil Gangjee, S.S.P Chowrasia, Digvijay Singh, Amandeep Johl, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahiri, Arjun Singh, C. Muniyappa, Himmat Rai and Chiragh Kumar.
Thirteen Indians apart, there is also two-time winner on PGA Tour, Daniel Chopra in the field.
Randhawa, who spent the days leading up to the tournament by taking a short holiday said: “I’m taking this week as an easy week. Yesterday, I hired a boat and along with Digvijay Singh and our families, we went out to Phi Phi Island and dived all day. Hopefully by being this relaxed, it will help with the golf. When you’re playing well, it helps to be mentally fresh.
Randhawa, who has two top-10 finishes, including a seventh last week in Jakarta, has seven Asian Tour wins to his credit.
After seeing the course, Randhawa said: “The course is great, it’s very tricky. There are some good holes and a few tight holes. You can shoot a good number but you have to really be on top of your game. The greens are really nice, I’m impressed by the greens.”
Kapur is also hoping that the relaxed attitude will see a turn in his form, as will Ghei, a three-time winner on Asian Tour. Gangjee, who missed the Asian Tour card for 2009 is hoping that good results at events like the Thailand Open will not only raise his re-ranking, but also give him a good shot at ensuring a full card for 2010.