Bhullar confident Fiji win will propel him to greater things

CHENNAI :  Life can be lonely on the professional golf circuit. Players travel in flocks from one tournament to another and there can be friends. But there are no sympathisers. Everybody is on his own. It can hit the faint-hearted hard if the going gets tough. It can also make one battle-hardened. Gaganjeet Bhullar belongs to the second category. A pro since 2005, he was once hailed as a prodigy early on. Initial success was followed by lows and from being the leading Indian player about five years ago, he became one of the players trying to make his mark at the international level. Instead of fading away, he has bounced back.

Winner of three Asian Tour titles in the last two years, he claimed a maiden victory on the European Tour in Fiji on Sunday. “International golf is not the place where you find a shoulder to cry on. You play there only if you are brave enough. You know before you have gone there that the door will open for you only if you do well. It’s not a good place if mentally you are not strong enough. One has to be clear about this before taking up golf as a profession,” Bhullar told Express on Tuesday. The way he clinched the title suggests Bhullar walks the talk. Looking for a win from the beginning of the year, he had to put up with frustration. On two occasions, in Korea and Thailand, he finished second. There were two more top-10 finishes. The 30-yearold took these as inspiration rather than blaming the narrow misses on luck. “I was sensing, all this while, that a win was coming up.

Although the title wasn’t coming, I was playing well. In Korea, I lost in a tie-breaker. So I was carrying that momentum. The win in Fiji was the biggest of my career. I still have the US PGA Tour as a target. It will remain my goal for as long as I play golf.” Starting the year at 153 in the world rankings list, he has moved up to 114 after the Fiji triumph.

Being in the top-100 is important to get invitations to compete in the top tournaments. “I have still not achieved my goal as far as rankings are concerned. Top 100 will be the first step in that direction. But this win will get me into tournaments offering higher ranking points.” For the next couple of weeks though, golf may not be the foremost thing on Bhullar’s mind. Before setting off for Europe, he is going to spend time at home in Kapurthala with his parents and wife Naureen. After that, he will be ready for the familiar grind. atreyo@newindianexpress.com