Golf remains an exclusive sport

Golf in India has come of age since Gaurav Ghei made international headlines after his win over Colin Montgomerie in the Alfred Dunhill Cup in 1996, but the sport in the country continues to remain ``exclusive``. Golf may have made rapid strides across the length and breadth of India with the success of Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and S S P Chowrasia among others, but what hurts Ghei is that the sport still remains out of the common man``s reach. The 39-year-old, who burst into international scene after his famous win over Montgomerie which had helped India stun scotland at the ``home of Golf``, said the sport needed government backing for it to reach the people. India has lot of depth now. SSP (Chowrasia) has come of age. And there``s a lot of talent in Rahil Gangjee, Digvijay Singh among others. We``ve regular contenders in European Tour now. The prize money has also gone up. However, it still remains an exclusive sport,```` Ghei, who had become the first Indian to qualify for the British Open in 1997, said. Most of the golf courses in India are private properties so if government does not give it a push, making courses which can be used by public it will continue to remain an exclusive sport. Also we need sponsors,```` Ghei, who had turned pro in 1991 said.