GolfPlus June 2018 Digital Edition (June 2018) | Page 62

too aggressive. My simple aim is to shoot
under-par scores in each round in order to
get myself into contention.”
The 32-year-old Dharma has continued
his hot streak in 2018 by claiming a career-
best ¿ nish of tied ninth on the Asian Tour
during the AB Bank Bangladesh Open. He
has also notched seven top-15 ¿ nishes on the
PGTI including four top-10s. The man who
originally hails from Tamil Nadu is currently
placed seventh on the 2018 PGTI Order of
Merit.
M Dharma
tour for the next four years as his consistency
dipped. But his career got a fresh lease of life
in the latter half of the 2017 season when he
bagged his second title at the CG Open and
also secured ¿ ve other top-10s. As a result,
Dharma ¿ nished a career-high ¿ fth on the
PGTI Order of Merit.
Dharma’s gradual progression to
the top rung of Indian golf is a story
worth highlighting. The Bengaluru
lad, who had humble beginnings, has put
up some dazzling performances in recent
times that have catapulted him to being one
of the dark horses for the 2018 PGTI Order
of Merit crown.
The unassuming Dharma ¿ rst tasted success
on the PGTI with his maiden professional
victory at the 2013 TATA Open. The year
also saw him post six other top-10s that
helped him ¿ nish as high as eighth on the
PGTI’s money list for the ¿ rst time.
Dharma said, “I attribute my recent
performances to my improved ¿ tness levels.
The three months of ¿ tness training during
last year’s mid-season break did me a world
of good. I feel I’m hitting the ball longer
since then.
“My better ¿ tness has also given me a lot
of self-belief on the course. For instance,
as soon as I knew that I was in the playoff
at the CG Open last year, I was extremely
con¿ dent of victory. I ¿ nally did go on to
win on the second playoff hole.
“With my current hitting form, I believe
every time my putting average is below
30, I’m likely to ¿ nish inside the top 10.
After years of experience, I’m also playing
more sensible golf now by not looking to be
Dharma then largely went unnoticed on the
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GolfPlus
JUNE
2018
“The performance at the Bangladesh Open
has been a huge morale-booster. I now want
to play more events on the Asian Tour in
order to gain more international exposure,
that will in turn, help improve my game
further. My next major goal is to qualify for
the Asian Tour within the next two years,”
said Dharma.
Dharma’s success in golf has brought about
a major transformation in his life for the
better. He looks back on his gol¿ ng journey
with a lot of nostalgia.
“I used to caddie at the Karnataka Golf
Association (KGA) in Bengaluru and
remember taking up the sport seriously
after being inspired by my good friend
C Muniyappa, who had already turned
professional at the time. The turning point in
my life came in the year 2000 when I found
my name among the 10 caddies who were
selected by the KGA to be given coaching
and playing rights.
“There’s been no looking back since then
as life has undergone a sea change. My
standard of living has improved signi¿ cantly
thanks to golf,” added Dharma, who recently
got his four-year-old son Kartik to take his
initial steps in golf.