Bhullar keeps the faith through pain, uncertainty
NEW DELHI: Injuries are known to change perception towards life and sport. Inching closer to a decade as a professional, Gaganjeet Bhullar felt searing pain for the first time during practice a year back, and as is the case, he wasn’t prepared. Niggles are all he had contended with till then. “You don’t know when it (injury) will strike,” he said.
The timing was wrong, he admits, as he was looking to bounce back after a strong start on the European Tour. Looking back, he doesn’t feel the setback changed his outlook. “I’m too young to worry about the fallout,” said the 27-year-old.
The forearm in a cast for a month, and away from golf for over three months, the whispers grew louder. Attribute it to the staunch believer he is, the doughty lad from Kapurthala couldn’t care less.
“I’m a tough nut, my mentors say a role in the armed forces would have suited me better,” he said. “My faith (in Sikhism) is intact, and that’s all I care for.” While tongues wagged on the golf course and beyond, Bhullar got active on Twitter and watched live golf action at home.
The “feel” that saw him win five times on the Asian Tour started to come back towards the end of last season, when he was a shot off the lead in the Dubai Open and eventually finished 11th.
The grade 2 ligament tear had healed, but not one to take chances, he became a familiar figure with the blue protective band on the right wrist. It came off in March, and though there has been no uneasiness, concern remains. “If the pain comes back, that’ll mean some tweaking,” he said on the reluctance to carry about changes.
The week of the Panasonic Open sees him arrive on the back of two strong finishes in Macao and Hong Kong. That’s what matters as the Asian Tour will occupy him the coming season. Depending on how it goes, a call will be taken on regaining lost status in Europe.
As is the case at the Delhi Golf Club, the driver’s out of the bag given that “ball striking will be the key” on the tight fairways. Of equal importance is putting as the injury affected his short game.
The putter goes off the boil now and then, when it doesn’t, “the hole seems like a gutter, everything goes in”. Surely, he could do with one such week.