Muniyappa - another caddie turned champion

Anand Philar

First there was Ali Sher, then Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia and now, Chinnaswamy Muniyappa.

The trio has authored a real-life rags-to-riches story with their stirring deeds on the golf course. They had humble beginnings, but their talent took them to the top echelons of the  golfing fraternity.

Ali Sher was a caddie to begin with and went on to become the first Indian to win the Indian Open in 1991. He became a legend in his own right. At his peak, he was the benchmark for Indian golfers. Humble and modest to a fault, Ali Sher never quite fulfilled the early promise, though, he did  win the Indian Open again in 1993.

Chowrasia too began as a caddie, and after turning pro in 1997, won eight Indian titles. He was runner-up to Arjun Atwal in the 1999 Indian Open and against lost the 2006 Indian Open crown to Jyoti Randhawa in a playoff. Chowrasia's father was a greenskeeper at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club and took to the sport as a 10-year old.

In the case of Muniyappa, he too started out as a caddie, earning a meagre amount for carrying the heavy golf bags around the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course in Bangalore.

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It is often said that markers and caddies are the quickest learners of their respective sport and so it was with Muniyappa who never quite had a formal coach to begin with.

I did speak to a few golfers who have known Muniyappa and they were unanimous in saying that he is as good a talent as any in India. Now that he has pocket full of dollars and more importantly, a two-year exemption on the Asian Tour, it is to be hoped that Muniyappa heeds his peers and heads out to build on his success.

For a brief period, Muniyappa was living in Chennai, but the Metro is not exactly a good place if you wish to further your golfing career. So, on advice, he moved back to Bangalore and with KGA extending support, his talent found an expression.

Indeed, to win a title in his first full season is incredible.

But earlier this year, there were indications of Muniyappa maturing into a quality golfer. In 11 tournaments, including the Indian Open, he made the cut  and finished in the top-13 bracket at the Brunei Open to pick up his biggest pay check of 4,600 US dollars.

That was, however, easily dwarfed by his achievement on Sunday, when he edged out South Korea's Sung Lee in the play-off for the title and received close to Two lakh dollars, a figure that should put Muniyappa on easy street for the time being.

I was told that he was planning to invest in an apartment in Bangalore and possibly buy a car.

Of course, he deserves a few luxuries and nobody would grudge such indulgences considering the difficult start he has had in life.

Although golf is spreading wings in India with an increasing number of youngsters taking to the game, it still remains an expensive sporting pursuit.

Of course, golf courses around the country are opening up for non-members, but then, unless subsidies are in place, it would remain outside the realms of a typical middle-class Indian.

On his part, Muniyappa, like Sher and Chowrasia before him, has shown that by the dint of hard work and determination, you could still make it to the top.

Given his circumstances, he could not afford a coach and he owes his success to himself.

A quick player with an aggressive approach, Muniyappa has an excellent short game, much like Chowrasia who is in fact known as "Chipputtsia" (a combination of chip and putt).  

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At the moment, Muniyappa needs all the encouragement and backing he deserves to enable him to play more  tournaments abroad. That would probably be the best route for him towards greater glory.

Incidentally, Muniyappa had turned pro in 1996, but the lack of financial support was a deterrent to him going on the road. That should put his Indian Open triumph in perspective, given his relative inexperience at this level.

Perhaps, Muniyappa, now 32, is better placed now to heed Jeev Milkha Singh's suggestion and play more tournaments in the region by capitalising on his two-year exemption.

May be, the day is not far off when this ever-smiling man from Bangalore climbs bigger podium overseas.

More power to his swing!

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