Yangon (Myanmar), April 7 (Inditop.com) Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar is planning to make the most out of his debut at the Air Bagan Myanmar Open presented by IBTC starting here Thursday.
Bhullar, winner of the season-opening Asian Tour International in Thailand, is riding on a wave of confidence and is hoping to continue his stellar run in the $300,000 event, which is making a return onto the Asian Tour Schedule after a four-year hiatus.
Rahil Gangjee, Digvijay Singh, C. Muniyappa, Himmat Rai, Firoz Ali, Gaurav Pratap Singh and Indo-Australian Kunal Bhasin are the other Indians in the fray.
A strong field featuring 12 of the top-20 players from the Order of Merit has gathered at the Pun Hlaing Golf Club. Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, an 11-time Asian Tour winner, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang, American Jason Knutzon, Japanese star Hideto Tanihara, current Merit leader Andrew Dodt of Australia and last week’s winner Richard Karlberg of Sweden are amongst those looking to sparkle in the Golden Land.
Currently ninth on the rankings, Bhullar believes that precise iron play will be the key to victory this week.
“You have a lot of back stops on the green and the fairways are wide. But you still need to keep the ball on the fairway. The key is to hit more greens in regulation because it is not easy around the greens,” said the 21-year-old, who finished sixth in last week’s SAIL Open in India.
He added that winning a second Asian Tour title has inspired him to shoot for more glory, especially with the strong support that he is receiving back home.
“After I won my first tournament, all the mental blockages were totally gone and I was a different person after that. That led to my second title and winning so early in the season gives you a huge boost in confidence.
“When I go back to India, people start recognizing me on the golf course. It is not pressure at all and when people come up to ask me for an autograph, it inspires me to do better in my career,” added the young Indian.
Myanmar’s hopes will rest on Zaw Moe, who is recovering from a bout of illness. He said the local players were excited to feature in their national Open after the four-year break.
rounak