Fri, Nov 26 10 01:22 PM
New Delhi, Nov 26 (PTI) Out of form he might be but Indian golfer C Muniyappa remains confident of successfully defending the Hero Honda Indian Open title as he claims to have done away with the damaging changes he made to his game after winning the trophy last year. Muniyappa secured a dream victory a year ago when he defeated Korea''s Lee Sung in a play-off to win the USD 1.25 million event but since securing his Asian Tour breakthrough, he has not been able to reproduce his winning form. The 33-year-old will face a star-studded field at the Delhi Golf Club from December 2-5, which includes former Asian number ones Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal, who became the first Indian to triumph on the US PGA Tour this year. Muniyappa admitted he has struggled all season after changing his swing in an effort to make improvements to his game following his memorable triumph. "After winning, I tried to change my golf swing to make it better but it went bad. I think it was a wrong move as I''ve got a natural swing. I am slowly going back to my old ways and it feels a bit better now," said Muniyappa, who ranks a lowly 130th in the Order of Merit this season. "I wanted to get to the next level but I was too quick in doing so. I want to get back to my old game and not think too much about the technical aspects when I''m playing in tournaments." A former caddie who once earned one rupee a day on the golf course in his home town in Bangalore, Muniyappa transformed his life with four glorious days of golf by winning a cheque of USD 198,125. "Last year, I was hitting it so well," recalled Muniyappa. "My mind was very calm that week but this season, I''ve been putting pressure on myself. People expect me to play better after my win and I was putting pressure on myself to perform and I have played badly. "Everybody dreams of winning the Hero Honda Indian Open. It was my dream as well and I managed to do it last year. I hope to put up a good title defence although it will be a big challenge," he added. While he won last year at the DLF Golf and Country Club, Muniyappa enjoys competing at the Delhi Golf Club. "It''s a really good course. You need to hit it straight and one bad shot would mean trouble. You have to be patient to play well there," he said. Other top names in the event include former champion Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand and this season''s winners Peter Karmis of South Africa, Siddikur of Bangladesh and Rikard Karlberg of Sweden, who triumphed at the SAIL Open earlier this year at the Delhi Golf Club. Irish star Paul McGinley and Sweden''s Daniel Chopra will also be in the elite field next week.
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