Gaganjeet Bhullar geared up for pressure of Indonesia Masters title defence

India’s most successful face on the Asian Tour by some distance, Gaganjeet Bhullar says he is ready to face the challenge of defending his BNI Indonesia Masters title which he won last year with a blistering 24 under par score having led from start to finish.

Speaking to the Asian Tour’s website on the eve of the tournament at the Royal Jakarta Golf Club, Bhullar said while pressure was an ever-present factor while playing at the top level, he was finding ways to manage, and thrive.

This year, the Indonesian Masters, seventh in the Asian Tour’s elevated International Series that also provides a pathway into the LIV Golf environment, has attracted a number of demotees from the Saudi-backed league, including Zimbabwe’s Vincent brothers Keiran and Scott, merit leader John Catlin of the US, and Australia’s Jed Morgan.

Bhullar opens his title defence at the $2 million event alongside Keiran Vincent and Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai. Last year, he beat countryman Karandeep Kochhar – also in the field – by five shots on Title Sunday at Royal Jakarta.

Also in the field are fellow Indians Ajeetesh Sandhu, Chikkarangappa S., Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Manav Shah, Rashid Khan, Shiv Kapur, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia, domestic rankings leader Veer Ahlawat and Asian Development Tour Order of Merit topper Rahil Gangjee.

“Talking about pressure, I would say the answer is yes, I do feel pressure. I am sure a lot of the defending champions do feel pressure – it is part of the game,” Bhullar said on the Asian Tour website.

“You know, you work hard over a period of years, and you try to make your mind much more stable, much more stronger by doing different things – yoga, meditation, or whatever. These are the things that make you a better player over a period of years. And in my personal opinion, meditation has played a very important role.

“Over a period of years, I have done that pretty much every day. And probably that is one of the reasons that we can hold some of the pressure.

“It has been regular for the last, I would say, 20 years. I wake up early morning and every day I have eight to 10 minutes of meditation. And that has changed me over the period of years. I mellow down on the golf course. I end up controlling my emotions better. I think that is one area where I’ve actually improved.”

Interestingly more than half of Bhullar’s Asian Tour 11 victories have come in Indonesia, and he comes to Jakarta with solid form at successive events in Thailand at the Black Mountain Championship (T7) and International Series Thailand (T19) at his back.

“It’s a great privilege to be back here in Indonesia. Last year was 24 under, and wire-to-wire. With this golf course, this country, it is so special to me. This country is always some sort of lucky charm for me.

“I ended up playing well last year, so yes, the preparations are very good. The last few weeks, I played decent. So, I think the game is coming back in shape and I’m looking forward to a positive result this week.”