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Putting it perfectly

Photo: Murali Kumar K.

MAKING A MARK Muniyappa had no playing experience as a junior or amateur, but ventured into the professional circuit in 1997

Practice makes a man perfect…is a common adage. However, Chinnaswamy Muniyappa, the Hero Honda Indian Open champion begs to differ.

“Even after hours of practice and being successful, it is what you do on the field on the match day that matters… that performance could make or break you,” says the 32-year-old from Bangalore.

Muniyappa became a caddie as a seven year old to supplement his family’s income, and turned professional when he was 20. He also used to help his parents in maintaining the golf course.

He admits, “My greatest strength is the ‘reading of the greens’ and my putting.” He recently returned to Bangalore with a winner’s purse of 1,98,000 dollars and as champion in the Indian Open.

He quips, “I plan to buy a nice house with the money. My parents have struggled to fulfil my dream of becoming a professional golfer. I want to provide them a nice place to live.”

Munniyappa is the third son of Chinnaswamy and Chinnamma and used to wander on the greens of the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) grounds, where his parents worked, as a youngster. He was soon hooked on to the game and became a caddie. “There was no financial returns as a caddie. But when I expressed my intent to play the game, Kilpady, the course-in-charge took keen interest and encouraged me,” says Muniyappa.

“With no playing experience as a junior or amateur, I ventured into the professional circuit in 1997 and seldom missed the ‘cut’. That kept me hooked to the game.”

Muniyappa bagged his first title at the Eagleton course when he won the Toyota Altus Open in November last year. “I realised that I could compete with the best and emerge successful.”

He finished in the top 30 in the Asian tour qualifier in Thailand. Many more victories followed at events in Phuket, Black Mountain (Thailand) etc. “The turning point, as far as my career was concerned came when I created the course record of nine under 63 at Brunei. The Karnataka Golf Association noticed that achievement and sanctioned financial aid worth nearly Rs. 6 lakh. That changed my life and gave a boost to my career.”

“I was always confident, but titles continued to elude me. I used to be stuck in the fifth or sixth position, despite playing many tournaments. Eventually, I began to approach senior pros such as Jeev Milka Singh, Digvijay Singh etc to discuss my game and learnt many of the errors in my game. I corrected these errors at the Indian Open and managed to emerge successful,” he quips.

Muniyappa regards his home course, the KGA grounds, as one of the best courses in the country. However, he adds, “The courses in Jammu, Delhi, GP Greens (Noida), DLF and ITC Classic are also very good. The courses at Macau and the Blue Mountain (Thailand) are the best in Asia.”

Muniyappa has a long season ahead. “I am heading for Malaysia and then to Singapore for the next two weeks. This title has opened the doors to many more events now.”

Not all caddies have the same zeal to turn pro as Muniyappa did. He says “At times, caddies do not pursue their goal with much intensity and are forced to give up. Once that mindset is corrected, the situation will change.

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