He tees off to music
AJEETESH SANDHU, 29, Golfer, Chandigarh
BECAUSE
He won the Asian Tour event Yeangder Tournament Players Championship at Taipei last year, followed by a win in Japanese Challenge Tour.
Ajeetesh Sandhu is steadily building a niche for himself in the world of golf. Jeev Milkha Singh was among the first to bring the Indian golf to world level and achieve global recognition for golfers from this part of the country.
Now, Chandigarh-lad Sandhu is making sure that he is counted first among equals in India’s Next Gen golfers from this region.
Ajeetesh got hooked to golf early in his childhood , thanks to his father SMS Sandhu. He started playing it his backyard and soon moved ahead under his coach Jesse Grewal.
At 29, he has been on the radar for long and 2017 can be considered a breakthrough year for him when he won his first Asian Tour title — US$500,000 (Rs 3.2 crore aprox) Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taipei. Now he joins a select league of Indian golfers who have scored a won in the Asian Tour.
Ajeetesh, who turned professional in 2008, has been in mix this year missing the podium by a whisker with his best being Tied 5 in 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship followed by a Tied 11 in Sarawak Championship, where at one point he slipped to Tied 43 before rallying back.
SECRET OF MY SUCCESS
Patience is the keyword for me. You wait for success, focus on processes, and keep doing hard work. I don’t think success can happen overnight. Whenever people see someone succeed or scale unprecedented heights , they don’t look at the years of hard work that may have gone into that moment of pride. My motto is to keep at it. You require a certain regimen and nerves of steel. Mental strength is equally important for this game.
MY GOAL NEXT
To win again, preferably in Europe.
MY ROLE MODEL
Jeev Milkha Singh. At that time there was no CGA range, so he used to practice on Hole No. 1 at Chandigarh Golf Club.
I remember watching him and getting inspired to take up golf. I am sure many youngsters at the Chandigarh Golf Club were inspired by him. No wonder this club is called the nursery of golf champs. Many youngsters who are playing internationally trace their roots to this club.
“He has always been hard working and focused. There is little he leaves to a chance. All his coaches have told me that he possesses one of the best swing in the golf. He is a capable golfer and I am sure he will pretty soon make his mark in the world circuit,” said SMS Sandhu, Ajeetesh’s father.
BY THE WAY
I usually listen to electronic music while I am practicing. It keeps me away from any distraction. I travel a lot and it’s hard for me to have a home base, but if I had one I would surely learn to read music and play the piano.
SECOND OPINION
Everyone knows that Ajeetesh has got one of the best swings in the game and that has been his key to success. He won last year and this year we did some technical corrections and I am sure he will win tournaments in the rest of the year as well.
—Jesse Grewal, coach