Post successful 2012, Bhullar focuses on short game
Gaganjeet Bhullar
Having enjoyed one of his best years in 2012, Gaganjeet Bhullar believes a sharpened short game will lead him to more glory as he aims to better last season’s successful campaign in the new season.
Bhullar, who won twice on the Asian Tour at the Yeangder Tournament Players’ Championship in Chinese Taipei and the Venetian Macau Open, also capped the season with six other top-10s across the region.
For all his efforts, he finished a career high fifth on the Order of Merit with $451,245 in earnings.
“It was a great season. I had a couple of top-10s, top-fives and two victories. There’re still a lot to learn but I have a lot of positives from last season,” said Bhullar.
“I’ve been trying to stay patient for a long time and I think I handled it well. Patience and a good short game will definitely help me over the years. I would love to practice day-in and day-out on my short game and bring it up to a higher level,” added the 24-year-old from Kapurthala.
Bhullar, who is amongst a new generation of stars to emerge from India, showed he could hold his ground against the elite of the game when he posted a top-10 outing at the CIMB Classic, sanctioned by the Asian and PGA Tours.
However, it was still his wire-to-wire triumph at the Macau Open which stood out the most for him.
“The victory at the Venetian Macau Open was the highlight of the season. Every victory is special but the win in Macau was very special because I won it wire-to-wire.
“I’ve done that a couple of times in India but to do it on the international level proves that you are a frontrunner,” he said.
But despite enjoying a stellar season, Bhullar lamented the missed opportunity of contending in his national Open — the Indian Open — which was held for the first time at the Karnataka Golf Association course in Bengaluru last year.
“If I could re-hit one shot, it will probably be at the Hero Indian Open on Sunday. I played really bad on number 16 where I made a double bogey. I wish I could hit that tee shot on the fairway and maybe get a birdie and finish higher up on the leaderboard.
“There were a couple of low points (in 2012) but from my point of view, I usually look at things in a positive way and keep moving forward,” said Bhullar, whose first tournament on the Asian Tour this season will be the Zaykabar Myanmar Open, from February 21 to 24.
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