A cutabove Indian sponsorship marks new era

This is such an important week for Indian golf. We've had European Tour events in our country before, but this week's Avantha Masters at the DLF Golf & Country Club is a tournament with a difference.

It all started with the golf in DUBAi-backed Indian Masters in 2008, which was quickly followed by the Johnnie Walker Classic the same year. Both were great events and set the ball rolling in the best possible manner. The pedigree of Johnnie Walker Classic is well known, and the tournament always manages to attract a quality field. The Indian Masters produced an Indian champion in the home-grown SSP Chowrasia, which was just fantastic. But what these two tournaments lacked was some solid backing from the Indian corporate houses.

In this context, the decision of Avantha group to enter into a three-year agreement with the European and Asian Tour is groundbreaking. Gautam Thapar, Chairman and CEO of the group, is the vision behind the tournament. He also happens to be the President of the Professional Golf Tour of India, which is our domestic tour. This tournament, and the opportunity that comes along with it, is his greatest gift to Indian golf.

The field is not the strongest, but I know the sponsors won't mind that. Nothing would give them greater joy than an Indian player standing on the podium tomorrow. They are also aware that it takes a bit of time for any tournament to become popular among the pros.

Personally, I am not very satisfied about my own game. The performance during Dubai Desert Classic amply proved that I need to practise a lot more to get in shape for my upcoming events in the US.

Jeev Milkha Singh is a three-time winner on the European Tour