‘It’s not a dream… it’s real’

At the beginning of this year, Gaganjeet Bhullar never thought he would achieve most of the targets he set.

His maiden win on the Asian Tour doesn’t actually come as a surprise to those who have followed his progress. It was a matter of ‘when’, instead of ‘will he?’
Now that he has become the youngest Indian to win a title on an international tour, the Kapurthala pro cannot stop pinching himself. “It’s not a dream. It’s real. It’s a big day for me,” he exclaims.

His performance over the weekend in Jakarta showed just why he is touted as the next big thing in Indian golf. He carded a flawless five-under 67 to win the 2009 Indonesia President Invitational and in the process, wiped off the disappointment of finishing runner-up at this event in 2007.

With yet another dominating performance, Bhullar, at 21, beat the previous record of Jeev Milkha Singh and Shiv Kapur who were both 23 when they won their first title in Asia.

While there is excitement on one hand, Bhullar says he is relieved that he is able to meet all his targets, especially winning a title on the Asian Tour.

“This title is very important. It is necessary to win a title on the Asian Tour when you are young and having a good run. More than happy, I am relieved that I managed a win a tournament here,” he tells DNA over phone from Jakarta.

Coming into this tournament straight from Turnberry, where he made his British Masters debut, Bhullar says the experience of playing alongside the biggies has been invaluable.
“After playing on such a big stage and then immediately on such a relatively smaller stage, you feel the difference in your game. It has given me the confidence of taking on the opponents,” he says.

“But I guess playing consistently on the Asian Tour has made me much better. I have become strong mentally just because I have played so many tournaments on this tour.”
Bhullar shot 23 birdies during the week and had just one bogey that came on the first day on the ninth hole. He played his last 27 holes without a bogey.

Thammannoon Srirot (66) was third at 19-under 269 and Ted Oh of Korea with a final round 69 was fourth at 18-under. “It’s been a dream year for me. First the hat-trick of title on the Indian tour, then the Masters and now this win. It’s been perfect,” Bhullar says.

Bhullar knows its time for him to not get carried away. “The expectations are bound to increase now. There will be pressure to perform. It has happened to many players across various sports that after a good year, they fade out. I have to be careful of this,” says he.

Jeev on ramp
Jeev Milkha Singh will sashay down the ramp on Monday for a charity fashion show for cancer patients organised by Bollywood fashion designer Rocky S. “It is a disease that affects so many people worldwide. We need to create an awareness,” Jeev told DNA referring to former Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.