00:00Jeev, thanks for your time. It must be a very proud moment for you to be the first Indian
00:12player to compete in the Senior Open Championship this year.
00:15Yes, it is. It's a very proud moment for me, being the first Indian to be playing in the
00:19Senior British Open, oldest major championship, and here I am, beautiful golf course, Glen
00:27Eagles, the Kings course. Coming from India, you always thought about playing golf, making
00:35a name for yourself, making a name for the country you were born in, and here I am, playing
00:43the major championship with all the guys who I've played golf with for years on tour, and
00:48I'm the rookie on tour, and I'm making the most out of it and enjoying it.
00:53You played the Centenary course in the Johnny Walker Championship, but your initial impressions
00:57of the Kings course? I played the Pro-Am yesterday. I think it
01:03is a perfect setup for a Senior Open. It's not a bomber's golf course. I think you've
01:09got to place the ball really well off the tee, and also for your second shot, the way
01:13the greens are designed, and with the slopes on the greens. And if the wind picks up, you
01:21don't need a driver here too often, because you can always place the ball before the bunkers
01:27and certain bunkers you can fly, but if you don't get a good bounce, the rough is up.
01:32It's very difficult to find your ball, and also, basically, you've got to chip out of
01:37the rough. So I think it's better to just keep it in play, take your medicine, hit it
01:41on the green, two-putt, one-putt, and move on. And I think this is a perfect venue for
01:47the Senior Open. Do you feel it can play a bit like a Lynx
01:49golf course here? It can, for sure, because yesterday the wind
01:55wasn't there, but if the wind picks up in the next four days, and the rain comes, it
02:01will play like a Lynx golf course, because the favours are firm, the greens are firm,
02:07and if the wind picks up, it's going to be a good test of golf.
02:13Third last week in Germany, you must take a lot of encouragement coming into a major
02:17championship this week. Yes, it gave me a lot of confidence finishing
02:23third last week in Germany. Before that, I was struggling because I had COVID after
02:29the USPGA, and I was in a bad shape. A lot of weakness had set in. I wasn't too bad with
02:38the COVID, but after that, the reaction was that I had a lot of weakness and I couldn't
02:44practice, but I did a little bit of work last week where I felt that I can work and my body's
02:50staying with me, and I had a good result, and I'm hoping that the form stays on this
02:54week and I enjoy it. You mentioned the names you played with on
02:59the main tour. The strength of field this week is seriously good, isn't it? What's it
03:03like to compete with these guys that have won major championships?
03:08You know, all these guys, playing with them week in, week out, when I just started my
03:12career, seeing them win major championships, I think they are fantastic players. The depth
03:18of the field is amazing this week. These guys know how to get the ball around and hold
03:25putts. I think it's going to be anybody's week this week because the competition is
03:30so deep, and the strength is really good this week. So, you know, I can't pinpoint who's
03:37going to win, but I'm just going to enjoy it because it's my first one, and I'm going
03:42to make the most out of it. Finally, turning 15 in your rookie year on
03:47the tour, do you feel you've got a new lease of life now you're playing competitively again?
03:54Yes, I joked around with the guys on tour. I said, how are you young boys? I'm the rookie
04:00on tour. It's my first year. I want to make the most out of it. I feel good. I feel young.
04:06I feel happy that I'm with the boys. I'm the youngest one on tour, and I'm enjoying every
04:12moment every week with these guys. It's more relaxed, the atmosphere on the senior tour.
04:19It's basically kind of a retirement for you. It's a retirement fun, and you want to make
04:25the most out of it. Basically, as a player, you want to stay fit for another 10 years
04:31so that you can enjoy that retirement for another 10 years. But it's a player's choice
04:36whether you want to enjoy it for two years, three years if you don't stay fit. But if
04:39you stay fit, and if you're good enough, and you keep working on the game, you can
04:42enjoy it for the next 10 to 15 years.
04:44Thanks for your time.
04:46Nice talking to you.
Comments