If faith can move mountains, its translated into birdies for Yashas Chandra. Ever since the Mysore pro got back on the Professional Golf Tour of India in Hyderabad last week, the mind is a lot free and that’s reflecting in the scoresheet. Especially now, after surging ahead as the Day 1 leader at the Players Championship in Panchkula.
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Save for the early blunder on Day 3 of the Golconda Masters and its cascading effect on the rest of the day, the finish last week too could have been a lot better than the T11. Yashas took the triple bogey on the opening hole and couple of stupid shots that followed in stride as “that’s golf”, and carried on.
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The tournament finished the way it started, on a sub-par note, and reaffirmed the positive vibes that have been with him since the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club reopened for practice in mid-July are for real.
It’s all about the work on the swing the past two years under coach Laurence Brotheridge throwing up gains and putting the mind at ease. Yashas hopes the struggles are behind him and the ease with which he can slip into a rhythm off the tee is here to stay.
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Like a dutiful student, Yashas went about making the changes but was unable to place faith in the work that was happening and whether they would withstand tournament pressure. “It was mostly about making the swing compact,” said Yashas after taking a two-shot lead on Wednesday.
Another factor that has hastened restoration of faith is unfailing regularity at practice during Lockdown 2. Golf or fitness drills, not a day passed when Yashas did not do what was prescribed, even if it meant just hitting balls in the front garden or working out in the improvised indoor gym at home. Discipline got him set in the ways he was on the lookout for.
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It’s been a while since Yashas has been comfortable talking about form, one that got him the Rookie of the Year award in 2018. With “total trust in the swing and the moves I was striving for”, the 26-year-old is hoping the current season ends in a way that it will take some effort to replicate.
Photo credit: Yashas Chandra
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