NEW DELHI: Jyoti Randhawa is hopeful of an Indian winning the $300,000 Hero Honda Masters Indian Open golf tournament on Sunday.

The former champion, who is currently third on the Asian Tour Order of Merit pointed to the 1999 winner Arjun Atwal as the man to watch out for when the event kicks off on Thursday.

"I might bet on an Indian winning the title. Arjun is in fine nick on the U.S. Tour and should do well here," said Randhawa during a function organised by Timex, the official timekeeper of the Indian Open at the Delhi Golf Club on Tuesday. Randhawa is ranked 143rd in the world, compared to Atwal's 166.

Randhawa, the 2000 Indian Open champion, was pleased to return to the Delhi Golf Club course where his major triumphs came in the Hero Honda Masters in 1998 and 1999. Looking for his sixth title on the Asian Tour, Randhawa said, "It's difficult to predict because every week is different on the Tour. I love playing on this course and hope to do well."

Mr. Versatile

Unlike other golfers, Randhawa is an avid trap shooter and loves to ride his 1000cc bike. "Both these, like golf, need focus and attention. They, in turn, help my golf," said Randhawa, a golfing pro since 1994. Randhawa, set to become the only Indian to play in all three stroke-play events of World Golf Championships this year when he and Atwal represent India in the 24-nation WGC-Algarve World Cup at Victoria Clube de Golfe-Valamoura in Portugal from November 15, sounded happy with the rise in the general standard of Indian golfers.

"Jeev, Arjun and me have set certain standards and it is good to see many of our golfers working hard on their game. Our bench strength looks good and younger players like Shiv Kapur and Ashok Kumar are sure to come good soon," he said.

Expensive

Noting that not many leading names from the domestic tour were able to play consistently on the other Tours, Randhawa said, "it's because the top players in India are able to make about Rs. 15 to 20 lakhs per season but that's not enough to meet the travel expense of playing on bigger Tours." He went on to say that he was spending around Rs. 20 to 25 lakhs per year on travel alone. This year, Randhawa has earned 232,239 Euros from 17 starts to be placed 95th on the European Tour Order of Merit. From the Asian Tour, his collections from seven events stood at $214,120. After making the `cut' from two out of four appearances on the Japanese Tour, Randhawa made 1,700,000 Yen. This weekend, Randhawa is hoping to add another good reason to make 2005 all the more memorable.

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