SSP Chawrasia took more than a day to fly from Spain to China but is now all set for the USD 2.8 million Shenzhen International at the Genzon Golf Club beginning in Shenzhen on Thursday.
This is the first of the two back-to-back events in China.
Chawrasia, who won back his European Tour card through to end of 2018 with his third European Tour win last month at the Hero Indian Open, was all excited to be back in the thick of action.
“Winning the Hero Indian Open was a life-long dream and now I want to win outside India. All my four wins, three in co-sanctioned events and one Asian Tour wins have been in India, three of them at Delhi Golf Club. So, I really am looking forward to adding one outside India,” said the dimunitive Chawrasia.
Chawrasia said, “I have played in China before so this is not new and the field this week is very strong.”
Speaking of last week in Spain, he added, “The conditions were probably the toughest I have ever played in with such strong winds and a tough course. I did well in first two rounds, but the weekend rounds blew us away and I finished in 50s.”
The field includes two-time Masters winner, Bubba Watson, the 2009 PGA winner, YE Yang among others and Kiradech Aphinbarnrat, who finished in Top-15 at the Masters.
Chawrasia, the lone Indian in this event, said, “It was a long journey from Spain. I came from Valderrama to Malaga and then flew to Barcelona and then again to Dubai and changed flights to Hong Kong. Then it was a road journey to Shenzhen through the immigration. It was really tiring, but then I have got used to a travelling over the past 7-8 years that I have played on European Tour.”
Chawrasia has been drawn with James Morrison and Marc Warren of England in the first two rounds. Bubba Watson plays with Kiradech and Dou Zecheng
