Udayan Mane on Tuesday formally booked his first Olympic berth, changing into the second Indian male golfer after Anirban Lahiri to go to Tokyo for the mega-event beginning July 23.
Mane, 30, who’s at present second on the earth at 356, was all set to make the minimize after Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo introduced his withdrawal from the quadrennial occasion on June 24.
The official announcement was made on Tuesday after Mane discovered himself ranked sixtieth within the Olympic golf rating listing, which was made out there on the International Golf Federation’s (IGF) web site.
Mane mentioned, “…I’m still pinching myself because it’s not completely submerged yet.”
“With a stellar 2020-21 season on the PGTI, I believed I nearly sealed my qualification for the Olympics, however the lockdown in India this yr left some doubts in my thoughts as as to if I might actually make it to Tokyo. I could make a spot
“The only tours that have recently become operational are the PGA Tour and the European Tour and I felt that the players on those tours had a real chance to advance and qualify for the Olympics.”
Mane recalled his final event earlier than the lockdown and the way essential his victory in that occasion proved to be.
“I can not assist interested by that final gap within the Delhi-NCR Open in March. I birdieed the 72nd gap and received and people factors helped me construct this crew,” Mane mentioned.
“Even a second place isn’t enough.”
“I did what I could and that included a win in my last start which was in March this year after which I didn’t get a chance to play,” he mentioned.
Mane, who has certified on the idea of being first reserve in opposition to Grillo’s identify, together with Lahiri, will type a two-man Indian males’s crew in a 60-player area, beginning on July 29 at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
“I look forward to joining Anirban in the Indian team in Tokyo. He is not only a good friend but also a great golfer and role-model and more than that he is an amazing human being,” mentioned the Chennai-born golfer, who stands at six ft 4 inches tall.
“He teaches us on the golf course and off the golf course. He is the perfect individual to emulate. We have been in contact with one another extra typically on the telephone now as a result of ever since he got here to find out about my {qualifications}, he’s additionally very excited. “
Two weeks in the past, PGA Tour common Lahiri, the highest-ranked Indian golfer at 340, turned the primary Indian male golfer to qualify for Tokyo after making some withdrawal from the listing of eligible gamers.
Lahiri will likely be taking part within the second consecutive Olympics as she additionally represented India on the Rio Games together with SSP Chaurasia.
Mane is an 11-time winner on the PGTI and one among solely two gamers (together with Ashok Kumar) to win three consecutive occasions on the tour.
He achieved this feat between December 2019 and February 2020 when he received the Tata Steel Tour Championship 2019, Vootie & Haldi Presents Golconda Masters 2020 and Tata Steel PGTI Players Championship 2020.
Mane received the Prometheus School Presents Delhi-NCR Open, the final occasion of PGTI in March 2021.
In 2014, Mane represented India on the Incheon Asian Games and the Eisenhower Trophy in Japan and hoped his expertise would assist him in Tokyo.
“I’ve beforehand performed in Japan throughout the 2014 Eisenhower Trophy, once I shot 14-under for the week and completed thirteenth within the occasion. As of 2018 this was the perfect end and rating within the occasion by an Indian So Japan has been good to me,” he mentioned.
“The experience of already competing in a multi-sport mega-event like the 2014 Asian Games will somehow help me adapt to the Olympic atmosphere.”
Among the ladies, Diksha Dagar was the fifth reserve and couldn’t accommodate Aditi within the Tokyo floor.
The males will compete from 29 July to 1 August, whereas the ladies’s competitors is scheduled from 4 to 7 August at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
