Hong Kong: An in-form SSP Chawrasia of India will be aiming for a third Asian Tour victory this season when he contends at the US$2 million UBS Hong Kong Open next week.
Chawrasia is enjoying his finest season after claiming multiple victories in a single year for the first time in his career. He won the Hero Indian Open and Resorts World Manila Masters and hopes to continue his winning form in Hong Kong.
“This is the first time I’ve won twice in a single year but winning three will definitely sound better,” smiled the 38-year-old. “It has been a great year for me because I also played in the Olympics and World Cup of Golf.”
“Obviously winning the Hero Indian Open was the highlight for me because I didn’t have a European Tour card at that point. But the win helped me get a full card in Europe and in Asia and my confidence just started to go higher from there,” said Chawrasia.
He will be among a star-studded cast at the UBS Hong Kong Open where defending champion and Olympic Gold medalist Justin Rose of England, Masters Tournament winner Danny Willett and Ian Poulter will feature in the prestigious event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
Gaganjeet Bhullar of India and Chan Shih-chan of Chinese Taipei, who are also aiming for a third victory this season, will be among the Asian Tour stars in the elite field which includes Jeunghun Wang of Korea and Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines.
Chawrasia, a five-time Asian Tour winner, believes he can better his tied fifth result at the 2014 UBS Hong Kong Open as the Fanling course suits his game.
“It is a good course and I really like it so I’m looking forward to a good week. It is very similar to my home course (Royal Calcutta Golf Club). It is a tree-lined course and you need to know where to hit the ball.
“The course suits my game and I’ve been practicing a lot on my short game. I just changed my grip. Before it was very strong and when it comes down to the pressure moments, I will hit it to the left. Now it is getting better and that’s why I won two tournaments,” said Chawrasia.
Ranked seventh on the Order of Merit, Chawrasia believes the UBS Hong Kong Open will be a great platform for the Asian Tour players to stamp their mark.
“It is a very old and well organized tournament. There’s a lot of crowd and the Asians have a good chance to win because the course is set-up like how it normally is in Asian Tour events. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very strong field but after playing in so many big tournaments, we are used to playing alongside the big name players,” said Chawrasia.
Entry to the first two rounds of this year's tournament on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 December will be free of charge. Those aged under 21 will be admitted free of charge for all four days of the tournament, as the organisers push to introduce the game to wider segments of the Hong Kong community in 2016.
