New Delhi: India's golfing heroes are confident of claiming big name scalps at the inaugural Indian Masters this week, knowing a win would spark huge interest in a sport that lags behind cricket.
As the curtain goes up on the 2.5 million dollars Indian Masters at the Delhi Golf Club, one man, who would be at the top of the list of sentimental favourites would be Jyoti Randhawa.
Randhawa has hardly ever returned empty-handed from the DGC, which saw him lifting his record-equalling third Indian Open title last year.
"Jyoti has got a great record around this golf course. If I were betting, I would have put my money on him. Jeev has been finding some form of late. He is playing really well. Arjun's really played well on the nation wide and I think I am playing alright as well and Gaurav has always done well here. So, you have got five-six Indians in good form at the right time," said Shiv Kapur.
Apart from Randhawa, Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Shiv Kapur would be spearheading the Indian challenge.
While the Indian Masters promises to have that same kind of a thing as that of the European tours, international golfers but most agree that the Indian golfers will definitely hold an edge as far as the tournament is concerned, simply because of their knowledge of the Delhi Golf Club.
"It does give an advantage. We have played here so much that we know the course well and I think it does give the Indian golfers a little bit of an advantage, especially the way the course is set up," said Jeev Milkha Singh.
"I won't be surprised if an Indian player is right at the top of the leader board, comes Sunday because a lot of the Indian players know the golf course and I think this golf course takes a little bit of a local knowledge. For myself, I am hoping to play well, hit the ball well and give myself a short at the title," said Mark O'Meara.
Though, he is playing for the first time in India, Ernie Els is looking in great touch after a third place finish in the Dubai Desert Classic. And he, will clearly be the man standing in the way of the Indian golfers, along with the cream of the Asian Tour.
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