All eyes on Digboi

The Digboi Golf Links Course in Digboi, Assam will soon be the focus of attention for the country’s golf fans as this venue prepares itself for the second event of the 2007-08 PGTI season, the IOC XtraPremium Masters 2007, scheduled to be held from November 15 to 18.


The IOC XtraPremium Masters has the potential of producing a great finish as there are a number of contenders for the title. Defending champion and 2006-07 PGTI Order of Merit winner Ashok Kumar will be looking to repeat his last performance at Digboi.

In the last edition of this event Ashok Kumar emerged victorious by a handsome margin of six strokes as his final score read fourteen-under par 274. The joint runners-up Vikrant Chopra and Shamim Khan finished with scores of eight-under 280.

“The win at Digboi was a significant one for me. The tournament was just my second on the PGTI and the victory helped me grow in confidence. It laid the foundation for my next four titles in the season,” said Ashok looking back at his previous IOC XtraPremium Masters triumph in February this year.

The defending champion appears to be one of the firm favourites once again as he has not only tasted success at the Digboi Golf Links in the recent past but has also had a reasonably good start to the new season with a tied seventh finish at the BILT Open 2007.

“I believe putting could be the decisive factor at Digboi because the greens on that course are very challenging,” added Ashok. The Delhi golfer will be keen to perform well in Digboi in order to leapfrog from his current seventh position on the 2007-08 PGTI Order of Merit.

The venue for the Rs. 20 lakh event, the picturesque Digboi Golf Links is a golfer’s delight. It is very different from the other popular golf courses in the country in terms of ambience as it is situated among the lush tea estates and thick forest of eastern Assam.

The course is a one of its kind, bordered by the Deihing forest reserve on three sides and the magnificent mountains of Arunachal Pradesh on the fourth. This 72 par course with a yardage of 6329 could also be termed as the best in the north-eastern part of the country due to its magnificent layout.

Vikrant Chopra, the joint runner-up during the last IOC XtraPremium Masters is excited about participating in the upcoming event. “I had a great outing at Digboi in February this year but somehow could not replicate that performance in the tournaments that followed. I’m eager to do well at the IOC Masters once again. It’s a small course but not a very easy one. One needs to use his head and club selection could hold the key,” said Chopra to The Indian Golf Blog.

One golfer giving everyone a run for their money would be Digvijay Singh. He’s currently placed second behind Lam Chih Bing on the PGTI Order of Merit and seems to be gaining momentum with every passing tournament.

Digvijay could present one of the toughest challenges to defending champion Ashok Kumar since he seems to have found form with a runners-up finish at the BILT Open 2007 and a tied 14th place finish on the Asian Tour’s Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational.

Another professional breathing down the defending champion’s neck would be the other runner-up at the last edition of the tournament, Shamim Khan.

Shamim has fond memories of his last performance but believes it’s going to be tough out there, “The greens in Digboi are quite tricky and whoever putts well stands a good chance”. Shamim has not won a title on the PGTI so far despite having come close on quite a few occasions including the BILT Open 2007 where he finished tied third. Now he has an opportunity to set the record straight.

The other strong contenders in Digboi include Gaganjeet Bhullar and Harmeet Kahlon. Gaganjeet Bhullar ended the BILT Open 2007 in tied 13th place and then came agonizingly close to winning his maiden Asian Tour title at the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational.

The Kapurthala lad missed out on the title as a result of Filipino Juvic Pagunsan’s incredible eagle on the 72nd hole. Bhullar would definitely be the one to look out for at Digboi.

Harmeet Kahlon also came up with a memorable performance in Indonesia, finishing tied fifth. He would like to make the most of his good form and register his second win on the PGTI. His solitary win on the tour so far came in December 2006 at the Emaar MGF PGTI Championship at Bangalore.

The surprise package of the tournament could be Himmat Singh Rai who secured an impressive tied third finish at the BILT Open 2007. Rai believes the weather conditions in Digboi would be totally different and players would need to adapt to it very quickly. “Colder weather means spending more time on the range in order to get warmed up and get into your groove,” said Rai.

Now even though the PGTI’s next stop is in colder locales it provides the country’s top professional golfers an ideal opportunity to warm up for the long and exciting season that lies ahead.