Ajay Jadeja to make amateur debut in pro golf event

Former Indian Test cricketer Ajay Jadeja will be seen on a different kind of green when he makes his debut as an amateur on a Hero Honda Golf Tour professional event.

Jadeja is scheduled to participate in the Rs 600,000 Sir Padampat Singhania Open 2002, the 20th leg of the 2001-02 season's Hero Honda Golf Tour which commences at the par-72 Noida Golf Course on Wednesday. The four-day professional event will be played from February 20 to 23.

The tournament will also witness the resumption of the battle for supremacy between India's top two golfers, Mukesh Kumar and Feroz Ali.

"Feroz has played really well this season and the pressure will be on me when we resume battle tomorrow," said Mukesh Kumar.

Mukesh incidentally has missed out narrowly on winning two titles at Noida, once to Jyoti Randhawa at the Sir Padampat Singhania Open 2000 and the other time round to Vivek Bhandari at the Noida Open Golf Championship in October 2001. On both occasions, the Mhow golfer had to settle for runner-up finishes.

"This time round I will make sure I win," said a determined Mukesh, who won the 'Mahindra Champion Golfer of the Year' award for the past two seasons in succession.

"There is just a 60 point difference between Mukesh and me for the 'Champion Golfer of the Year' award and I am determined to erase that deficit," said Feroz Ali. "Ever since December, I have won every alternate tournament I have played and if the Hero Honda Masters is taken into consideration, I am in for a win this week," added the Kolkatan who won the Dutch Bangla Bank Bangladesh Open at Dhaka, the week prior to the Hero Honda Masters.

The other star of the tournament is Kolkata's Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia.

Chowrasia who essayed the first win of his professional career at this very tournament last year will be keen to retain the title that saw him break the ice on the Hero Honda Golf Tour.

"Everybody is talking of the Mukesh, Feroz rivalry but I back myself to win this week. I am swinging it really well and my short game, which has always been my strength is as sharp as ever," said the joint runner-up at the '99 Indian Open. "Though I haven't played the Noida Golf Course for over two-years I am confident of doing well here," said Chowrasia, who won the previous edition of the Sir Padampat Singhania Open at the Army Golf Course, Dhaulakuan.

The Noida Golf course is in pristine condition with tight fairways and well trimmed, undulating greens. The course boasts of a few difficult par-4's and a monstrous par-3 in the form of the 220-yard 16th, which requires a good solid drive to reach the green in one.