Golfer Uttam Singh Mundy has taken the big plunge into the vast ocean of administration. Playing at the top level for 19-odd years has made Uttam Singh Mundy understand the players’ needs and aspirations well enough to take the call. So when he took over as Director (Operations) of Professional Golf Tour of India early this year, the transition wasn’t rough — but as smooth as a peacock’s feather.
“The advantage I have as an official,” says the 45-year old: “is that I can relate more to the needs of the players. What a professional wants and expects from the tour. It helps a lot being on the other side.
“The duties of the new job at hand, the effort and time it takes, says Mundy, is more or less equivalent to the time he put in when he was a professional golfer.
“It’s hectic. I handle the sponsors, co-ordinate in running the PGTI event. I also get in touch with the players, garner their views and ensure that everything runs smoothly,” he says. “It’s been, fun and enjoyable so far.”
Mundy, who was at his best in the 90s reaching the top five in the Order of Merit list, says thanks to the right bend of people, PGTI is traversing the right track and that only the players’ interest matter more than anything else.
“Our objective is to grow the tour, in fact better it,” he emphasises.
Speaking of the positive changes in PGTI, Mundy says “we have live scoring on the web after every three holes. We have scorers on the course and through them, the scores are fed on the computer—these small things go a long way. We are keen to bring in more events.”
Mundy believes more youngsters taking up golf seriously as a good sign. Praising Gaganjeet Bhullar as “one with a steady head on his shoulders”, Mundy lists out promising talents Chirag Kumar, Anirban Lahiri, Himmat Singh Rai as those with a bright future. Before parting ways, Mundy signs off with a profound statement — the player in him shines through. “We have to realise that without players there is no tour.”
