DeChambeau Promises to Leave a Mark in Gurugram

I am here to educate, entertain, inspire

- Shantanu Srivastava

GURUGRAM: From the time he got off his chartered flight after a quick trip to Taj Mahal and checked into the DLF Golf and Country Club late on Tuesday to the moment he wowed all and sundry at a golf clinic as dusk descended on Wednesday, the biggest draw of the star-studded field that has gathered for India's maiden International Series held the attention of all.

Bryson DeChambeau is the man of the moment, and the buzz around the course ought to be experienced to be truly understood. They mention him with reverence in hospitality boxes and in the player lounges, his peers liken him to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. And such is DeChambeau's pull that the club has thrown open its gates for fans to come and watch the reigning US Open champion in action.

By conservative estimates, a crowd of at least 10,000 is expected to throng the course on all four days of the competition - numbers almost unheard of in Indian golf. The last time such a turnout was witnessed on an Indian course was 11 years back when Woods visited the Delhi Golf Club. The last time a reigning major winner visited India was six decades ago when Peter Thompson competed in - and won - the 1966 Indian Open.

The magnitude of his visit was not lost on DeChambeau, 31.