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Johl hoping for birthday joy in Pakistan

Indian strongman Amandeep Johl will be hoping that 2007 brings good tidings in a bid to end his Asian Tour title drought.

The "nearly man" of Asian golf is eyeing victory at the Pakistan Open at Karachi Golf Club from January 18-21, a year after he came desperately close to the title before finishing runner-up.

"I'm looking forward to Karachi," said the bearded Indian. "The course is very good and it suits my game. You always want to do better and try to win.

"But I'll go to Karachi with no expectations. I'm going in to have a nice week, enjoy the golf, weather, food and people. The Pakistanis are the friendliest people in Asia and they overwhelm me. You can't feel more at home when you're there," added Johl.

A long-awaited victory could be the perfect birthday gift for Johl as he turns 38 on January 19 during the week of the Pakistan Open.

In the recently concluded season, he finished 30th on the UBS Order of Merit, thanks to three top-10s but he came up with a frank assessment of his year-long performance.

"I was pleased with the first half of 2006. To bounce back after losing my Tour card by a few thousand dollars in 2005 was good but I didn’t quite follow it through later in the year. But on the whole, it's been a good year.

"I'm still looking for my first win and other than that I'm quite positive about 2007. I'm going to work on a few things with my coach which has been part of the reason why I've not played well in the second half of 2006."

He believes that the tree-lined Karachi Golf Club will offer another great test to Asia's finest. The support from the club members and golf fans also holds a unique appeal for Johl.

"The course is a great design. It's a very fair test and you have to play good shots which are rewarded while bad shots are penalised. That's a good reflection of a good layout. It's an old design but yet new in some ways," he said.

"The members also get very involved with the event and the fans will come out to support us. You get that special appeal that you don't have in most other locations in Asia. They come out to support the event and the players, and help make it a huge success," said Johl, whose decade-long career in Asia includes 17 top-10s including two runner-up finishes.

While victory is what Johl is yearning for in 2007, the Indian stalwart is also eyeing a crack at playing full time in Europe. He missed out on his European Tour card at Qualifying School in November but with a number of co-sanctioned events with Asia, Johl is hoping to play his way there.

"I will get a few starts in Europe from my present status and hope to earn my card. I enjoy playing in the cool weather and Europe could be the place for me. I don't mind the cold and rain," said Johl.

The Pakistan Open is the second leg of the 2007 Asian Tour season which will include 29 tournaments and a record of US$26 million in total prize money.

December 29, 2006