The young professional

The last group was yet to come in. But a short distance away from the 18th green on the NOIDA Golf Club course, the celebrations were already underway and the spotlight was on 22-year-old Ashok Kumar.

He was being congratulated not just for the scintillating round of seven-under 65 but also for the title win at the season-ending PGAI-TSM Open, which confirmed him as the winner of the Hero Honda India PGA Tour's Order of Merit.

Amidst the jubilation, Ashok did not forget some important things. He went over to Mukesh Kumar, the winner of the Order of Merit for four consecutive years, and hugged him. Next, he walked up to Rohtas Singh, the Guruji of Indian golf, to take his blessings.

Later he called on his mentor, Amit Luthra "" India's leading amateur and a gold medallist at the 1982 Asian Games "" who bought him his first golf set.

"How can I forget these people. Without them, I would be nothing," says Ashok, whose journey from being India's No 1 amateur to India's No 1 player on the domestic Tour has taken just two seasons.

Ashok's journey as a golfer began as a caddy more than a decade ago. Unschooled and inexperienced, Ashok, a native of Samastipur in Bihar, came to Delhi looking for employment.

He landed a job at the Air Force Golf Club where a sum of Rs 50 for carrying a golf bag around 18 holes over five hours seemed princely enough. But seeing the 'sahibs' play, he would often imagine hitting the ball with the club himself.

And when he did that, he realised he was not bad. But before those dreams could take shape, he was thrown out of the Club for allegedly stealing Rs 50.

Luthra, who gave up pro golf to pursue a career in chartered accountancy, recalls: "At the Air Force Golf Club, when my caddie was not around I took Ashok's services." Seeing his keenness, Luthra put him into a junior training programme at the Delhi Golf Club in 1995.

"My first tournament win was the Amit Verma Memorial in 1997,"' says Ashok. By the end of the year, Ashok was the top sub-Junior and became the top Junior the following year.

In 1999, at the Hero Honda Masters, he was in contention on the last day and played with the eventual winner Jyoti Randhawa. Ashok emerged as the tournament's top amateur and was soon representing India in internationals.

Blessed with a natural swing, his biggest asset is his fearlessness. "Whatever I get in life is great. I had nothing, so I don't have to fear losing anything," he says.

Turning pro was the next big question. "A lot of people asked me when I would turn pro. But I left that decision to Amit sir. He knew what was best for me," says Ashok.

Ashok finally turned pro in 2002 at the Hero Honda Masters, where he also made the cut. In 2002 "" his first season on the Indian Tour "" he won the NOIDA Open and ended as the top Rookie of the Year.

He was fifth overall with earnings of Rs 8 lakh. Between 2003 and 2004, he emerged as a No 1 player with more than Rs 12 lakh, including the Rs 4.53 lakh cheque at the PGAI-TSM Open.

Today, Ashok has sponsors. The DLF Golf and Country Club has allowed him to use the facilities and he has recently bought a house in Gurgaon, close to the course.

"Amit sir helped me in all that," he adds. "My parents don't understand the game but they are proud of me." He has also started studying so that he can fill up forms while traveling abroad.

"Golf has changed my life," says Ashok with misty eyes. If he plays as fearlessly as he does now, he could well change the way people look at Indian golf.