4th Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational 2021 golf tourney tees off on Thursday, 132 participants in fray

With two wins and eight top-ten finishes under his belt this year, Kochhar will be one of the top contenders among the 132 golfers who will compete in the Rs 1.5 crore prize money event. Last year, Kochhar had edged out Olympian Anirban Lahiri in a play-off and with the PGTI Tour culminating later this year, the PGTI order of Merit leader will look to extend his lead further in the Order of Merit this week.

“I am really looking forward to this week’s event. It will be the first time that I will be defending the title and I am excited about the possibility of making it two in two. Considering that the Asian Tour too is restarting this month, this tournament is vital in keeping me in the lead in the Order of Merit before I play in the PGTI Tour Championship in Jamshedpur. Hopefully, I will have the chance to win the trophy this Sunday,” said Kochhar.

Last year, Kochhar had emerged as the winner in the third-play off against Lahiri to claim the title. Kochhar, who had pocketed a prize money of Rs 24,24,750 last year, had been imposed a one-stroke penalty by the tournament committee earlier in the tournament. Kochhar, who has earned a total of Rs 46,71,130 in the 2020-2021 season, thinks that the 7,202 yard-long Chandigarh Golf Course will aid him this week.

Gaganjeet Bhullar in action. (File)

“We have had a lot of rain lately and the course is in perfect condition. The green is quick and will get quicker as the week progresses. They are also on the soft side and the greens are going to make the difference for the winner. There is not much of a difference in terms of ball striking among the players but whoever can putt well will win. I see the winning score to be around under-14 this time,” added Kochhar.

Ten-time International winner, Gaganjeet Bhullar, too will be playing his first tournament on the PGTI this year. Bhullar, who is currently ranked 481st in the world, has been playing on the European Tour mostly this year. The Kapurthala golfer, who has won a total of nine titles on the Asian Tour and one title on the European Tour, has so far won ten titles on the PGTI tour so far in his career with his last win on PGTI coming in last year’s PGTI Tour Championship.

“This happens to be my first tournament on PGTI this year. I had a mixed season on the European Tour. I hit the ball really well but was struggling in other aspects. I made some changes in my swing and hence struggled. I am happy to compete in the tournament named and hosted by my idol, Jeev Milkha sir. I have played a lot of golf here in recent years and we might see some low scoring this year. The fairways are good. While the rough is up at some places, the greens are rolling well. Adjusting from playing in Europe to playing here in India will be the key,” shared Bhullar, who had finished tied second in the Qatar Masters early this year.

While Shubhanakar Sharma and Anirban Lahiri, the top two highest ranked Indian golfers in world rankings, will not be playing, the 132-player will include host and 14-time international winner Jeev Milkha Singh, ten-time International winner SSP Chawrasia, three-time International winner Shiv Kapur, nine-time international winner, Jyoti Randhawa and two-time international time winner, Rashid Khan, apart from former champions of the tournament Ajeetesh Sandhu and S Chikkarangappa. The foreigners to take part in this year’s competition, include Anura Rohana, Mithun Perera, N Thangaraja, and K Prabagaran from Sri Lanka apart from Md Zamal Hossain, Badal Hossain, Md Sayum, Md Dulal Hossian and Md Akbar Hossain from Bangladesh.

Tournament host Jeev Milkha Singh, who will be competing in the tournament as well, wished the competing golfers luck ahead of the championship. “I am grateful to my parents Milkha Singh and Nirmal Milkha Singh who introduced me to golf and whatever I am today is due to this game. I wish all the golfers to do their best this week and I am sure my parents too will be cheering them from heaven,” said Jeev Milkha Singh.

Chandigarh challenge will also be led by youngsters Akshay Sharma, Abhjit Chadha, Akshay Sharma, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu and Harendra Gupta. The Pro-Am will be played on Wednesday and has been named after legendary athlete Milkha Singh. “We are glad that we have got a field of 132 golfers here at Chandigarh and it will be an exciting week ahead. I am thankful to CGC president, Ravibir Singh Grewal, and captain Arvind Bajaj and the whole team. This is one of the marquee events of PGTI and though we were hopeful of getting this tour to be included on the Asian Tour, the Covid-19 situation meant that things will have to wait,” shared Uttam Singh Mundy, PGTI CEO.