Sports Trumpet exclusive with Defending Champion Udayan Mane

Mr. Udayan Mane speaks to us in a press conference before the commencement of this year’s PGTI and Prometheus school staged Delhi NCR Open Golf Championship,2022.

Mr. Udayan Mane is a Pune-born golfer who is an Olympian and the defending champion of the Delhi NCR Golf open.

Speaking to us, he answered that “It feels nice to come back to an event and defend it. I’ve done it before and it will be nice to defend it successfully again.”

Also read: https://www.sportstrumpet.com/delhi-ncr-open-golf-championship-2022-to-tee-off-on-april-19/

Mr. Mane won the Delhi NCR open last year with the margin of victory being 1 stroke. He beat Mr. Rashid Khan, who is also participating in this year’s championship.

“I expect a lot from myself, I expect myself to win but, it just means adding a lot more pressure on your shoulders and so I just want to get away from this and play the game. We will see if it is good enough and hope for the best,” added Mr Mane.

He then mentions how to tackle the conditions on-field and try to bring out your best.

“The conditions definitely affect the game, it is the responsibility of the player as a professional, to adapt to it. The quicker you adapt to the conditions, the more shots you save and the better it is for you,” said Mr Mane.

Next, Mr. Mane spoke about the Olympics as he hopes to get a chance to stand on the podium.

“The top 300 ranked golfers qualify for the Olympics. If there are more than 2 people in the top 20 in the world from your country, then 4 people can qualify for the Olympics. These are the rules that have been set by them. As for the next Olympics, we are still 3 years away. Obviously there is scope for us as we have 3 years to prepare and get better really really get a chance to step on the podium,” said Mr Udayan Mane.

A maximum of 4 golfers are allowed per country will be allowed, if there are players from the top 2 in the top 20 in the world. The top 300 ranked players are eligible for the Olympics.

Speaking about Aditi Ashok, Mr Mane said “I grew up with her in Bangalore. She has always been a black sheep of the herd, meaning she never hung out with anyone. She had her own routine to follow, which she stuck to, not getting influenced by peer pressure. Her goal was very clear- do something in golf and all the fruit of all these efforts is showing now.”

Aditi Ashok represented India at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, finishing a record-high 4th. She missed out on an Olympics golf medal by a “shot”.

Recently, Aditi Ashok finished T-41 in Hawaii.

She said in a tweet, that she is now off to LA after the championship ended in Hawaii.