The rise of the 'Mighty Midget'

Rahil Gangjee has moved up the ranks after his first Asian Tour win in Beijing

Indian pro golf can be demarcated into three tiers. The highest level has the Big Three "" Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Indian to play on the European, Japanese and Nationwide Tour; Arjun Atwal, the first Indian to win a European Tour event and now the first Indian to play on the US PGA Tour; and Jyoti Randhawa, the first Indian to win on the Japanese Tour. Besides, both Randhawa and Atwal have also won the Asian Order of Merit in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

This group can also include Daniel Chopra, who has an Indian father and Swedish mother and holds a Swedish passport but prefers to be called an Indian. A few weeks ago, he became the first 'Indian' to win a professional event in the US, winning the First Tee Championships at Arkansas for a prize of $90,000.

Level two golfers are those who have won events bigger than those on the domestic scene and they include players like Gaurav Ghei, Firoz Ali, Vijay Kumar and Harmeet Kahlon, who have won Asian Tour events but only once, and that too, on Indian soil.

The third level comprises stars who win Indian events but are still looking for a breakthrough at the next level.

Last week, Rahil Gangjee moved from Level three to Level two and, that too, in his first full season on the Asian Tour and while playing only his fourth event. Gangjee, small built at five feet six and just over 54 kg in weight, is an amazing golfer for his size.

Jokingly referred to as the "Mighty Midget" of Indian golf, 25-year-old Gangjee, packs a big drive. He took the plunge into pro golf after becoming the top amateur in India. He represented India in numerous amateur events and was part of the team that won the SAARC Championships twice.

He also had wins in the Sri Lanka amateur, the East India and various events. "I had nothing more to prove among amateurs, so I decided to move to pro golf," said Gangjee.

"Pro golf can be tough and cruel. If you don't make cuts, you don't make money and with little or no sponsorship at my level, it can be an expensive affair," he added.

Gangjee played the 2002 season as a pro in India and won the HT Pro Golf in Lucknow. He also became the Rookie of the Year "" an award given to the best new pro of the season.

Again in 2003, after debating a lot about whether or not to venture outside India on the Asian circuit, ("Each week outside India can cost upwards of Rs. 60,000") Gangjee decided to play in India for one more year. He collected more money and then went to the Asian Tour this year in 2004.

In one of his early events, the Myanmar Open, he finished 19th and that as he says, "gave me the confidence." He wasn't playing very well when he got entries into some Asian Tour events last month. "I put no pressure on myself and just went to have fun as I was in poor form, but still I decided to take a chance."

In his very first week, he hit pay dirt. After lying tied for eighth on the first day at the Volkswagen Masters in Beijing at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Pine Valley course, he moved into the lead on the second and then kept it for the rest of the way.

On the final day, Korean Mo Joong Kyung caught up at the end and forced a play-off, but Gangjee, considered a very good match-play golfer (one-on-one) handled the situation very well and beat the Korean on the first play-off hole itself.

Gangjee and Mo finished tied on 15-under-par 273 after rounds of 68 and 66, respectively, before the Indian triumphed in the first sudden-death play-off hole with a par on the 18th hole as Mo had trouble in the greenside trap.

"It's beyond my wildest dream," said a jubilant Gangjee, who pocketed $48,450 from his first Asian Tour success. "I can't describe what I'm feeling right now. You practice for this all your life and suddenly it happens. This feels really good. I putted really well this week and the course suited my game."

Now the next step is to consolidate this success. It will take sometime for the win to sink in but now Gangjee will have to deal with increased expectations.