New Delhi, Jan 16 Indian golfing great Jeev Milkha Singh has lauded the efforts of current Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) president and cricket legend Kapil Dev for "doing well" for the professional golfers in the country. The PGTI president recently unveiled the jam-packed first half of the 2025 calendar year with professionals participating for 11 consecutive weeks in competitions, all at different venues compared to the nine competitions that took place in the first half of 2024.
"Kapil Dev is a sportsman. He can feel for the other athletes. And he is heading an organisation (PGTI), which is doing very well for professional golfers in India. In the future, hopefully, with him being the president, golf should grow, with more awareness coming into the game," Jeev told IANS on Thursday. "Golf is on the rise in our country. Very good talent is coming from the country and doing well on the international circuit. They have the knowledge of equipment and fitness," he added.
To further boost golf among youngsters, the 53-year-old former PGA Tour player advised the government to build more public golf courses across the country.
"In our country, the government should open public driving ranges. I know we have land scarcity, but a decent golf academy can be opened around a 10-acre area. After this, every kid will have an opportunity to play golf. This is my request to the government. Currently, we only have three public driving ranges. The more this number rises, the more it will boost golf. It is a cycle. The only way to go forward is by having this and then (it) is the hard work of the child and the parent's commitment that the child goes through," Jeev said.
The veteran golfer is gearing up to start his season with upcoming competitions in the country before shifting his focus to Morocco for the Champions Tour.
"I have a first tournament at the International Series Asian Tour in DLF at the end of the month. I have a special invite from Morocco for the Champions Tour. That is part of the PGA. After that, I have a European event," said the legendary Indian golfer who is recovering from a dog bite on his hand.
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