Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar offered worship at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in the wee hours Friday, says media reports adding that Tendulkar arrived on a 10-hour maiden pilgrimage on the hills at midnight.
He offered worship in the traditional manner, wearing a white dhoti and shirt, and also took part in the 'Suprabhatha recitation seva' (a ritual), temple sources said. Tendulkar was in the temple for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, The Golfing community got a taste of super celebrity as Sachin Tendulkar paid a visit to the Kensville Golf and Country Club on Friday. Tendulkar, who has a Villa at the Kensville Golf and Country Club, took time out to go around the golf course and also interact with the players.
The players, fans, officials and members of Kensville virtually swarmed the legendary cricketer, who seemed to enjoy himself in the midst of sportsmen and fans.
Tendulkar tried his hand at driving and then putting, too, alongside many of the internationals, like Shiv Kapur, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Rich Beem, Rahil Gangjee and Rhys Davies, who are participating here this week.
“I have been to many golf courses and even had an occasional attempt at the driving range, but visiting a golf course, while a tournament is in progress was a new experience. I really enjoyed and the golf course is a lovely one. I have seen other courses, but I really liked this one,” said Tendulkar.
When asked if he would take up golf seriously sometime, Tendulkar said, “I enjoy racket sports and have not been able to play golf. My focus has been cricket, maybe golf will come sometime in the future.”
Asked what was special about the course, he laughed added, “I liked the bunkers. They look great but don’t get into them. The greens is where you should play. They are great.”
Tendulkar hit about 25-30 balls on the driving range and not once did he mis-hit or shank. “I enjoyed the sound of some of the shots,” he said of the ones, which hit the sweet spot. His former Mumbai colleague, Rahul Sanghvi, a former India spinner, also had a few shots.
A good number of drives sailed past the 200 and 250 yards when he teed up a bit high. But after adjusting the height of the tee, his shots went past 250 and some even touched 300 yards.
Tendulkar later took part in the putting challenge with his teammates being Shiv Kapur and Gaganjeet Bhullar. They were up against a team, which included Rich Beem, Rahil Gangjee and Rhys Davies.
Kensville Golf Living presented a cheque of Rs. one lakh to Tendulkar’s Charitable Trust.
