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NewsTranscript
00:00So I turned pro in 2007 and I started on the Indian tour on the PGTI and my first big break
00:11or my first big opportunity to play an international event or a global event was actually the Dubai
00:17Desert Classic and Golf in Dubai were nice enough to me to invite me to play in 2010.
00:25I won the money list in India in 2009 and they extended me an invitation in 2010 January.
00:31It was the first time I actually played golf with a lot of my idols as well.
00:35The Muchless Golf Course obviously is quite spectacular and a great event so my association
00:40goes back all the way to then and then over the years having played in Asia, I've been
00:46a European Tour member for many years, playing the Abu Dhabi, playing the Desert Classic,
00:51the DP World Championship at Jumeirah.
00:54I've come here often and I've enjoyed my time here.
00:57I'm so excited, honoured really to get the Dubai Golden Visa.
01:02Over the years so many of the top pros have resided or made their golf base here.
01:07Rory obviously, so many years and I know a couple of Indian golfers that are here, Jeev
01:13and Shiv, Niko is here and a bunch of pros come in the off season to sharpen their tools
01:20so obviously there's a long association of high quality professional golf with Dubai.
01:25It definitely was a big encouragement for me to consider this as a long term base.
01:31Initially with the whole move to Dubai, I think everything that's happened over the
01:34last few months has been quite hectic.
01:36I have a young family, I have a daughter that turns four February next year and a son who's
01:42four months old so there's a lot going on at home, it's a proper circus so to relocate,
01:48to move, I think initially we focused on moving to an area where we have friends and
01:53we have a lot of friends from when we were in school in India and the like so most of
01:58them are downtown and that's I think where we're going to rent initially to begin.
02:02I think over the coming months maybe try and figure out where we want to lay our roots
02:07down.
02:08Obviously here at the Elves Club where I'm going to make my base, it's definitely an
02:12option, there's a lot to do in Sports City which is something that I think my children
02:19would benefit from in the long run, also the schooling.
02:22There's so much choice, you're almost spoiled for choice so I think over the next few months
02:28it'll be about sitting down with my wife, trying to figure out what our priorities are
02:32and just going from there and seeing what we want to do in the long run.
02:38I've been very pleasantly surprised to see how advanced and developed the golfing infrastructure
02:46is actually out here.
02:48The academies are well designed, obviously the Elves Club is fantastic, they have everything
02:54that someone of my caliber would require and they have everything that an average club
02:58golfer would require and I'm sure this is not the only club, there's plenty of golf
03:02courses, plenty of facilities that provide it, so I think it's a great future watering
03:08hole for golfers of all levels to come and get their feet wet or cut their teeth if they
03:14have to and get serious about it.
03:19Golf is such a crazy game, it's taken me to so many different places and now we find
03:23ourselves in a different kind of situation in professional golf.
03:26For me personally, it's been a very fulfilling year, had probably one of my best performances
03:32in the last few years at least at the Players' Championship, fell agonizingly short but lots
03:38of positives, a great memory and it was really nice to perform at the level that I know I
03:44can and now I find myself here in Dubai, so life's been very, very interesting, it's been
03:51a fantastic journey, I've gone to a lot of different places and now I'm looking forward
03:56to what's next.
03:58For the rest of the year, my schedule will probably be looking at about 4 or 5 events.
04:04I'm playing Bangkok next week and then we go to Jeddah and then we have team finale
04:09in Miami and then in November is when I'm planning to move my family, my kids, get them
04:16settled in and kind of start making it feel like home and then in December I'm going to
04:23head out and support the Asian Tour and play a couple of events as well.
04:26It will be really cool for me to go back, lots of familiar faces and a lot of new ones
04:32as well, interact with the next generation of professionals from Asia, especially from
04:38India, some of whom I know and kind of just enjoy my competitive career but also kind
04:44of have another role in trying to help groom and nurture some of the new talent that's
04:49coming through, so very interesting times ahead.
04:53Then kind of call it for the year and we'll have good weather here, so lots of golf.