Mumbai: After enduring a rather disappointing last season, Indian golfer SSP Chowrasia says he is ready for the new year with an improved swing and is aiming to regain his European Tour card with solid performances in the coming tournaments.
"I lost my European Tour Card last year. I hope I am able to get it in 8-10 events this year in 2014. The goal is to once again keep my card in European Tour and perform at a better level. Even if there is one good week in a tournament, I will be able to get a full card," Chowrasia said ahead of the Take Solutions World Corporate Golf Challenge.
The 35-year old admitted that last year things didn't go according to his plan on the European Tour.
"Last year, honestly it wasn't that good. I was playing lot of Europe and even there I wasn't doing that well. I was working on my swing and wasn't fully okay and probably that was the reason for the dip in performance. But I think I am on the right track and it will be alright now," he said.
Chowrasia, who has been playing professionally for nearly 15 years, competed in limited events in Asia last year and is ranked 14th on the PGTI order of merit.
"I played very few events in Asia last year. I played only 11 or 12 events, so my position is also 14. My goal last year was Europe, that is why I played maximum events in Europe and did not focus much on Asia. But in Asia it isn't that bad and where I had focused it wasn't that good," he said. The Kolkata-golfer said he is working on his putting, as he struggled with it in the last few tournaments.
"I am working on my swing and I struggled with putting last few weeks. I am taking lessons from Sandeep Verma, who is from Delhi. I am practising my putting and trying to set it," he said.
Chowrasia, who will play in the King's Cup in Thailand next week, said his aim is to win the Indian Open in which he is a three-time runner-up. "In the Indian Open, I am a three-time runner-up. My target is to win this tournament. The Delhi Golf Course is my favourite course. Not just mine but all the Indian players like it. Everybody plays well over there," he said.
He felt that the standard of golf has improved on the Asian Tour and the participation of Indian golfers on the tour has increased. "If you see the PGTI has improved so much. Every year, the level of golfers is improving. Even the amateurs are playing well this time. About 14-15 of our (Indian) players play in Asian Tour, 2-3 play in European Tour. In the next few years probably 5-6 players would be there on the PGA Tour," he said.
Chowrasia further said to increase the number of golfers in the country, it is important to have public courses. "The more tournaments happen in India, the better it is. But public golf courses are also important. If you have public golf courses then you will get more players," he said.
