Gill targets Asian Tour card after ADT title, says Indian golf returning to ‘golden days’

The more faces you have on an international circuit, the more comfortable those guys feel.

Fresh from his breakthrough Asian Development Tour (ADT) title in Malaysia, Indian golfer Pukhraj Gill has now set his sights firmly on securing a full Asian Tour card, saying consistency over the remainder of the season will be key to achieving his biggest goal of the year.

The Chandigarh golfer currently sits third in the ADT Order of Merit and is also inside the top-65 on the Asian Tour rankings, leaving him well placed to qualify through either route.

''Either through the main Asian Tour Order of Merit of top-65, or if I play well on the ADT, either one of those will be able to get to my main goals till the end of this year,'' Gill told PTI during an interview.

The 24-year-old's rise has gathered pace over the last few months.

Apart from winning in Malaysia, Gill also impressed at the International Series Singapore earlier this season, finishing tied-22nd in one of the strongest fields he has faced in professional golf.

Return of 'golden days'.

=============.

Gill believes Indian golf is slowly returning to its ''golden days'', with growing international exposure and new domestic pathways giving players the confidence to compete globally.

He said the increasing number of Indians competing abroad is a sign that the ecosystem is finally moving in the right direction.

''I do feel that we're getting back to the golden days,'' Gill said.

''Now naturally, once you get more Indians playing in all the fields, we definitely know from our history that we have enough capability to get it done.''.

He said the partnership between the IGPL and Asian Tour had played a crucial role in accelerating his progress.

''That has been the reason where I've been able to have this international exposure. This partnership has worked out very well for me.''.

Gill also pointed to the growing number of Indians attempting Asian Tour qualifying as evidence of improved financial backing and opportunities within Indian golf.

''I think last year we had a bunch of 40 or 50 guys going (for Asian Tour qualifying), and this year we have a bunch of 60 or 70 people who want to go,'' he said.

''Participation is one of the main elements that has started going rightly. The more faces you have on an international circuit, the more comfortable those guys feel. Slowly, you start to feel that we are as good as anybody else.''.

Gill also offered his perspective on the Asian Games selection criteria.

India golf had relied on trials for selecting players for the continental event ahead of the Huangzhou edition, but world rankings are expected to carry more weight this time.

The Sports ministry-recognised Indian Golf Union has confirmed no on-course selection trials will take place this time.

Gill said both systems have shortcomings and admitted that the uncertainty around selection can be frustrating for players.

''I feel like there are pros and cons of both systems,'' he said.

''When you look at the world ranking part of things, it's very difficult to decide the world ranking points between somebody who's playing in Europe versus somebody who's playing in Asia and somebody who's only playing the national tour.''.

At the same time, he said trials can also become heavily dependent on short-term form.

''When you have trials, there's a lot dependent on the week of trials, those six to eight rounds whatever we have,'' Gill explained.

''I feel like at the end of the day, there is a lot of luck factor involved.''.

However, Gill believes India now has enough depth in both men's and women's golf to remain competitive regardless of the selection route.

''Because we have a great chunk of guys and girls playing good nationally and internationally, we would have a great set of teams regardless of who gets to go or not,'' he said.

Gill said his focus now is to maintain consistency rather than making unnecessary changes to his game.

''The lesser I have to change and the more comfortable I can be in my style of preparation, the better it is,'' he said.

''If I'm able to keep playing the way I'm playing, even majority of the times, I should be in a very good position by the end of the year,'' he signed off.