Pawan Kumar has a prayer on his lips ever since the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) stalled operations in March due to the second wave of the pandemic that swept across the country.
A restart is nowhere on the horizon but the Delhi Golf Club pro is hoping that tournaments do resume soon.
The last lockdown had left Pawan worried on many fronts. The 2019 season was negligible, leaving him thin on earnings and results.
He got his card back through Q-school in January 2020 but before plans for the season could be drawn, the pandemic brought life to a halt in March last year.
The time at home was spent on fitness but in six months he played just 36 holes at practice in the Delhi Golf Club. With a young family to take care, daughters Lavanya and Pavanika are 4 and 2 respectively, their well-being prevented Pawan from being regular at the club.
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Despite the apprehension, the urge to test himself in competition stayed. So, when a tournament was organized in September for home-grown pros, Pawan got restive. On one hand was the family’s disapproval, on the other a good show could mean the first pay cheque in a while.
“Money is important in these times, but practice matters more since there was talk of the Tour restarting in November,” Pawan had said then.
The athlete got the better of Pawan’s parental instincts, and he finished third with a two-day score of 3-over par 72. The tournament whetted his appetite for full-field events and the money was kept aside for the daughters’ education.
Almost three months without a tournament now, stress levels are growing again and with no respite in the form of last year’s club tournament happening soon, Pawan is living in hope that better days are not far away.
Photo credit: Pawan Kumar
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