New Delhi, October 06:Sweden’s Daniel Chopra will bid to win one of the few trophies missing from his cabinet when he tees-off Thursday in the Hero Honda Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
Fresh from a strong season on the US PGA Tour, the 35-year-old is one of the favourites to take the title, which boasts total prize money of $1.25 million and is the most lucrative full-field event on the Asian Tour.
Other fancied runners include two former winners – India’s Arjun Atwal and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant – who triumphed in 1999 and 2005 respectively.
New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, the 2006 US Open champion, and young Indian star Gaganjeet Bhullar are also competing.
Chopra’s two victories on the US PGA Tour are his most cherished pieces of silverware but victory in India would mean so much.
He was born in Sweden but moved to Delhi when he was seven and was raised by his grandparents.
The young Chopra, whose mother is Swedish and father Indian, excelled at golf and thrice won the All India Junior Championships.
As a professional, he has triumphed twice in India in 1994. One of those titles was the Indian PGA Championship and to claim the national Open would complete the set.
“My game is in good shape so I am looking forward to having a run at the title. When I played last year, I was making some swing changes and it just wasn’t really happening. I am much better placed this time round,” said Chopra, who boasts of 13 professional wins.
The Swede finished in a tie for 49th place in last year’s Hero Honda Indian Open, which marked his first tournament in India in seven years.
He finished in 102nd place this season on the Money List in the US with earnings of $774,303. His best finish was equal eighth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and he posted five top-25 finishes.
“It has been a much more consistent season and I put myself into contention quite a few times and could have actually done a lot better. I certainly have something to build on moving forward,” added Chopra, who has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Pin High Apparel.
His first victory on the US PGA Tour came in the Ginn sur Mer Classic in 2007 and the following season he claimed the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii.
Chopra was paired alongside Campbell as part of a two-man international team that took on Bhullar and Atwal in a friendly skills challenge Tuesday.
Chopra’s build up for the tournament proper received a real boost when his side won the contest thanks to some great shot making by the Swede.
—————-IANS