Swinging back to form

After reaching the nadir in his pro career, Daniel Chopra has bounced back to win

It was during one of the Asian Tour events in New Delhi that Daniel Chopra opened up to the media one evening. While being queried on his day's round, which was one of the best of the day and around 67 or so, Chopra asked the media, "Why do you keep referring to me as a Swede? I would like to be known as an Indian. After all, this is where I learnt my golf. Sure, my passport is Swedish but my heart is Indian."

The media was stumped. Since that day, some kind of an unspoken compromise seems to have been worked out between Daniel Chopra and the media. He is now referred to as the 'Indo-Swede'. For the time being, this seems to keep Chopra happy.

Holder of a Swedish passport, Chopra who loves being called an Indian "" his father is Indian and mother Swedish "" set a new first for an Indian golfer by winning a pro event in United States when he grabbed the $500,000 First Tee Arkansas Classic, a premier event on the Nationwide Tour, which forms the second rung of the US PGA Tour.

At the Diamante Country Golf Club, which is the longest course on the Nationwide Tour measuring more than 7,500 yards, he finished the event with a hat-trick of birdies for a final round of six-under 66 and a total of 13-under par 275.

By the way, Daniel Chopra's website, which he and his Australian wife, Samantha, keep going, has the colours of the Indian flag. And he lists among his favourite food, chicken tikka.

And amongst his favourite clubs, the Delhi Golf Club. And why not? For this is the place he started out in golf, honed his skills before striking it big in the unforgiving world of pro golf.

The iron-willed Chopra knows a thing or two about heart breaks. In fact, few golfers have bounced back the way he has after seeing virtually the bottom of pro golf.

Chopra went through the grind of Asian Tour and then moved to the European Challenge Tour before making it to the European Tour via the Q-School in 1995.

He played in Europe between 1996 and 2000 and even came second in the Czech Open in 1996 and third at Madeira Open once. But then form deserted him and he lost his card in Europe and, at one stage in 2001, was without a card on any Tour.

"That was the time when I was prepared to go back to teaching, earning a little and then come back to pro tour," he had said. "My wife Samantha supported my golf and kept encouraging me to go ahead and pursue the sport."

Virtually down and out, he sought the help of old pal, Jeev Milkha Singh, to get an entry into an event in Taiwan. He finished in the top 10 and then managed a sponsor's invite for the following week at the Mercuries Masters.

There, he played a brave final round with some amazing shots and won the event to turn his life around. Six years earlier, he had won in Taiwan Open in 1995, his first win in Asia.

He moved to Nationwide Tour in 2002 and in 2003, his second year on the Nationwide, a series of 16 straight cuts brought him close to top 20 which would earn him an automatic card for the main PGA Tour.

But when the season ended, he was 21st, an agonising US $1,000 short of the 20th place. It would have broken the toughest of golfers, but Chopra came back a few weeks later and finished sixth in the Qualifying School and got his card.

And now at the PGA Tour, he made just two cuts in nine starts, which would again have broken a weaker man's heart. But not Chopra. When he did not get into the field for the MCI Heritage, he simply decided to take a shot in Nationwide once again.

And it paid off "" with a win in First Tee Arkansas. More important than the cheque is the confidence that he gets from this performance.

It was an amazing round for the golden-haired Chopra, who is well regarded for his shot-making abilities. He made four birdies in a stretch of five holes on his front nine and had caught up with leaders Elliott and Driscoll. Elliott had birdies on the last two holes to finish 12-under.

With his wife Samantha on the bag, Chopra made some terrific par-saves on the 14th and 15th, the latter with a 25-footer putt. And then came that hat-trick of birdies, including an 18-footer on the 17th to tie with Elliott.

Needing a birdie to clinch the issue without a play-off, Chopra made a great up and down for a birdie on the 565-yard, par-5 18th and etched a new landmark in his career.

On a final day, when he had to play with strong winds that were more like gales blowing across the course, Chopra started the day three behind the overnight leader James Driscoll, and then carded a great final round of 66, to add to his previous rounds of 75, 66 and 68 that gave him a winners' cheque of US $90,000. It also meant that he is now assured of a berth in Nationwide Tour for the next year also.

Talking to the media in Arkansas soon after his win, he was quoted as saying, "I felt at home this week. It was like a homecoming. I almost felt like a farm boy who had gone on to the big city. This worked out nicely for me."

In the tournament, Chopra needed a birdie on the final hole on opening day to finish at three-over 75, hardly a score for a likely winner. "All I tried to do after that was to try to get back into contention," he said. "We just wanted to see if we can get back in the top 10." Then came three great rounds of 66, 68 and 66 that gave him his maiden win in the US.

"I realised that I have to do my homework well and then try to win in the big league," he said. "It is a terrific feeling. Anything you do for the first time is etched in your memory and this win is something special," he added.

Now that he has a maiden win in his bag, Chopra returns to the PGA Tour this week at the Shell Houston Open.