Harpal Singh Bedi/ New Delhi
New Asian Tour champion Viraj Madappa is excited about playing in US$1.36 million Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup, a tournament which he played in as an amateur in 2015.
The tournament is to be played at Musashi Country Club, Sasai Course (Singapore) from September 20 to 23.
The Indian recalls playing in his first ever professional tournament in Japan where he was overwhelmed by the organisation and star-struck when playing a practice round with Arjun Atwal, Rahil Gangjee, Daniel Chopra and S.S.P. Chawrasia.
Now the super-fit 20-yearOld Madappa,a winner on the Asian Tour,will be one of the top contenders as he faces an impressive line-up which includes 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Scott Hend of Australia, Gaganjeet Bhullar of India, Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand and K.T. Kim of Korea.
The Tour rookie Madappa will be playing in his first tournament since claiming a stunning victory for his first Asian Tour title at the TAKE Solutions Masters on home soil last month.
“It was a great experience and funnily enough I’m going back to Japan. Back then, it was my first professional tournament and I was in awe with the players. I learned a lot that week but it was also very intimidating for me playing in front of big crowds,” said Madappa .
Arguably one of the fittest golfers on the Asian Tour, he follows a strict diet and fitness routine to improve his golf game.
“You can’t perform your best unless you tick off all the boxes. Working at the gym or improving mental state will help you become a better player. I put in a lot of work in the gym and do my meditation often and I’m strict with my nutrition.
“Outside of my usual golf practice, I work out six times a week which consists of different exercises. I also eat healthy and at the moment I’m not taking any sugar. I have more hunger now because I’ve tasted success and I want to put in more hard work,” he explained.
Currently ranked 40th on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, Madappa’s immediate goal is to break into the top-10 on the Asian Tour to qualify for the CIMB Classic in October. In his long term plan, he has his sights set on representing India at the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
“My first goal at the start of the year was to try and win a tournament and I’ve done that. I also wanted to finish inside the top-10 on the Order of Merit and I’m closer to that goal now. I’ve won but I really want to achieve more, improve on my world ranking because I’m aiming to play in 2020 Olympics,” said Madappa.