The rise of Chowrasia

Here is one professional golfer who plans his move with the utmost care, does a SWOT analysis every now and then, and loves meeting his targets.

Such is his dedication that you don't call it a miracle that he overcame all kinds of socio-economic barriers. It was almost like destiny, something that was waiting to happen.

Today, the 25-year-old from Kolkata is the No 2 golfer on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour with earnings of Rs 5.92 lakh from 12 tournaments in the 2003-04 season. He is also the hottest player on the Tour, having won thrice in his last four starts "" a stat even Tiger Woods would be proud of.

Life was not always rosy for Chowrasia, one of the six children of Ganesh Chowrasia, a greenskeeper at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. He was born and brought up in a small hut inside the course, right next to the ninth green. The only thing going for him was the golfing environment.

The first decision Chowrasia had to make was what he wanted to be in life? The answer lay in the hallowed turf of RCGC. By the time he entered the eighth standard, he had firmed up his future plan. No academics, only golf.

The scrawny little boy would spend his waking hours at the driving range, or sharpening his short game skill at the putting green. At night, he'd practice under moonlight on the ninth green. To hone his competitiveness, he'd bet with friends on all kinds of golf shots.

In 1997, Chowrasia felt he was ready to turn professional. The first task was raising the finances. He had saved some money from his job as a caddy. That helped him play his first tournament in Patna, where he also made the cut. A buoyed Chowrasia entered the Qualifying School and secured his playing privilege.

He soon found out that all was not rosy in the cut-throat world of professional golf. He went down south for the Southern Swing, and missed the cut in every tournament. He came back to Kolkata without a single penny in his account.

Money was the next problem, and he found his own venture capitalist in Madan Singh, the former captain of the course, for whom Chowrasia used to caddy.

With a small loan, Chowrasia set out to play the Honda-Siel PGA Championship in Delhi. A 24th place finish earned him close to Rs 33,000, and there was no looking back thereafter. He finished the season with a runner-up place in the Cynamid Open at RCGC, his home course.

It was during the 1999 Indian Open, which was eventually won by Arjun Atwal, that Chowrasia lived his lifelong fantasy with golf. Having witnessed several Indian Opens at the RCGC, he always dreamt of winning the trophy in front of a doting homecrowd.

That year, he purchased an Odyssey putter on the first day of the tournament, and prayed to make the cut so that he could recover the cost of the putter.

He did much more than making the cut "" he finished tied second. The $22,500-cheque not only compensated for the putter, but also for a brand new Honma golf set and a new apartment overlooking the golf course.

Then came the time for another SWOT analysis. Chowrasia's short game was outstanding "" so much so that he is called "Chip-putt Chowrasia" on the Tour because of his sublime skills around the greens. But the big weakness was his small frame, which meant that he couldn't pack much momentum behind his driver.

The lack of length off the tee bothered him. The first thing he did was buy new, better and costlier drivers. When that didn't help, he decided to attack the core of the problem "" his own bulk. He changed his eating habits, and started working out at the gym. Within one year, he gained more than 10 kg on the weighing scale and almost 40 yards on his drives.

In 1999, he won his first title at the Sir Padampat Singhania Open. Since then, he has won six titles, the last five coming in last 14 months. But like any good manager, Chowrasia is never satisfied with the present. It's the future that appears more challenging.

The soft-spoken pro has already made some hard decisions. He is now looking forward to expanding his canvas to the entire continent by going to the Asian PGA Tour Qualifying School in 2005. Given his work ethic and dedication, success would just be par for the course for Chowrasia.