Pukhraj Singh Gill: "Best Form Ever" as India Eyes Olympic Golf Future

Rising golfer Pukhraj Singh Gill feels "best he has been" form wise, optimistic of India's Olympic future in sport

By Sahil Kohli, Gurugram, May 21

Pukhraj, who secured the 2025 IGPL Order of Merit last year and also a breakthrough title win, the 2026 Asian Development Tour (ADT) Players Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this year in May, spoke on his form.

He told ANI, "This is the best it has been (his form). I was very confident since last year when I won the IGPL Order of Merit and had a first-ever pro victory. I was off to a very promising start this year. I played well in the IGPL events, and I played well on the Asian tour, and this was my second event on the ADT this year. So, having won just the second event start, obviously, it is a product of feeling confident, and it came together very well for me. So yes, in a very good frame of mind."

The 29-year-old golfer, who turned professional in 2018, said that his "passion and obsession" for the game was from a young age only.

"I started playing seriously on the national junior level at the age of eight or nine. So, since then, I have climbed up the ranks. I have played junior, then sub-junior and then senior. And I represented India both junior and in the seniors, nationally and internationally," he said.

"So I think it is very close to the purpose of life for me only. For the last 10-15 years, my entire obsession has been to play good golf. Win nationally, win internationally and now that I am able to do that, it is obviously very fulfilling. But this was always the goal in my mind from a very young age," he added.

On being inspired by Jeev Milkha Singh, a fellow Punjabi golfer, he took a lot of inspiration and assurance from the veteran golfer that people from his region and his country could make it big in golf.

"After Jeev sir, it was Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahiri, who also got success, playing all the way up to the PGA Tour (top golf tour in US). Also, my contemporary Shubhankar Sharma, who is of my age, has done really well for himself, having won the DP World Tour multiple times in Asia. This all gives you assurance that it can be done and when you have so many people who have walked that path before you, it becomes easier. You can always have more confidence in yourself and secondly, they are able to help you with their suggestions and their experience. So that has obviously kept me in it," he added.

On how the IGPL co-founder and cricket legend Yuvraj Singh has helped the golfing scene, he said that his presence has broken the stigma of golf being a purely exclusive sport.

"So now when you see golf being played by all the ex-athletes, whether they were cricketers, whether they were towards some point in their career, choose to play golf. Like on IGPL last year we had multiple programmes where a lot of cricketers and a lot of ex-tennis players like Leander Pace himself have taken a lot of keen interest. So that way, because there are audiences who follow these people from multiple backgrounds and not just golf, it just opens us to a new audience," he said.

"So that has been very, very helpful. And then, you know, earlier, a lot of times in a lot of kids' minds, you have to play the mainstream sports. You know, it has always been the choices between cricket or football or maybe badminton," he added.

Pukhraj said that with these efforts, golf is coming closer to mainstream sports like cricket, tennis and others.

"I think parents and children, they are both able to look in different directions. You know, sometimes you're talented at golf more than you are at cricket. So you can also start seeing a career in that, which has now become better. And, IGPL, they have this new programme with Golf on Wheels where, you know, every week they are going to suburban cities, urban cities and just introducing the game. That itself is very big," he said.

"Because if you grow a founding to something and you are given that exposure, that always stays like an obsession that, you know, I am good at it, and this can be a great life," he added.

Pukhraj is also optimistic that India will do well in the Olympics in future and the country is heading in a positive direction with regard to that.

"I remember Anirban had a stretch which was very good, and Aditi Ashok almost got a medal last time around. She narrowly missed by a shot. So it's looking very good for us because there are more people playing, there is more awareness," he said.

"Just generally, Indians are performing very well on the Asian and international standards. You know, like Yuvraj Sandhu, Shubhankar etc from so many years, these guys are prominently contending. And now with the added confidence of how golf is growing in India, it is definitely headed towards a promising and positive direction," he signed off.

— ANI