Gaganjeet Bhullar
India’s rising star Gaganjeet Bhullar will be fired up to launch a title assault at the SAIL Open on home soil later this month.
Bhullar is enjoying a rich vein of form after winning three titles in India and one in Bangladesh since the beginning of the year and will be determined to translate the home form onto the Asian Tour at the Delhi Golf Club from March 22 to 25.
The talented Indian will be joined by decorated countryman and former Asian Tour number one Jyoti Randhawa and Sujjan Singh, who is currently second on the Order of Merit after a flying start to the new 2011 season.
India’s young guns Anirban Lahiri and Himmat Rai will also feature in the US$300,000 event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGTI.
Bhullar won his maiden Asian Tour title at the 2009 Indonesia President Invitational and claimed his second title in the season-opening Asian Tour International in Thailand last year.
He credited his fast start to the season to the valuable experience of playing on the Asian Tour over the past four years. “Last year’s season-opener was just my first tournament for the year but this year, I’ve already won four tournaments so I think this year is definitely going to be better,” said Bhullar.
“I’ve got more playing opportunities now as compared to last year. All these have helped me developed into a better player which is always good if you want to be among the best,” said Bhullar, who placed 17th on the Order of Merit last season.
Singh, who earned his Asian Tour card by finishing in the top-40 of Qualifying School in Thailand, has literally booked himself full playing rights for next season after earning US$94,082 at last month’s curtain-raiser Avantha Masters on home soil.
He will now aim to better last year’s tied 21st finish in the SAIL Open.
“I’ll be concentrating on playing more on the Asian Tour and hopefully my performance at the Avantha Masters can spur me on to better things,” said Singh.
C. Muniyappa, a former forecaddie, endured a slow patch last season where he only earned US$7,344 as compared to his earnings in 2009 where he won US$223,269 highlighted by his remarkable victory in the Hero Honda Indian Open.
He will be hoping to turn the corner at the SAIL Open and make a swift return to the winner’s rostrum. “I feel that I’m ready and I hope to achieve more success on the Asian Tour this season,” he said.
