No coach, no problem for improving Pukhraj

Things are finally falling into place for Indian golfer Pukhraj Singh Gill.

The 29-year-old, who by no means burst onto the scene, has been seeing the fruits of his labour over the last nine months. Pukhraj emerged as the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) Order of Merit winner in its inaugural season in 2025 and added a bullet point to his CV with his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory in Kuala Lumpur last week.

The Ludhiana man felt that his first title outside India would be a morale-booster. “It is a huge motivation because I have accomplished something that I set out to achieve. I feel that my two professional wins have come in quick succession (he emerged victorious in the IGPL Invitational Jamshedpur in November), and I see the transition from a national to an international event,” Pukhraj told The Hindu during a virtual interaction.

“…I am getting closer to becoming an ‘overall player’; I sense that I have the ability to play nationally and internationally. That is very assuring,” added Pukhraj, who hails from a sporting family.

The “winds of change” began to blow about three years ago.

“I have not had a coach for three or four years now. It took me a while to learn about my style and find the mindset with which I could play my best. It took me two or three years, up until 2023. After that, I started playing much better as I felt that I grew both mentally and physically. The last two or three years have been very good in terms of consistency.”

His next objective? Sustaining the good run and earning an Asian Tour card. “I am on track for that,” said Pukhraj, showing the drive to soar high.