Refreshed Rahil Gangjee to tee off in Nagoya

TOKYO: Indian golfer Rahil Gangjee returns to play in Japan after nearly five months as he is set to tee it up at this week's Token Homemate Cup in Nagoya, which begins on Thursday.

Gangjee, who won the Panasonic Open Championship on the Japan Tour in April 2018, has been plying his trade in Japan ever since, having earned full playing rights on the Tour.

However, the 2020 season was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and, as a result, two-time Asian Tour winner Gangjee could only manage to play three events on the Tour with his best finish being tied- 37th.

The Japan Golf Tour's curtailed 2020 season has been extended to 2021 and a refreshed Gangjee is looking forward to good results after his encouraging trip back home to India where he posted two top-10s and a top-20 in his three appearances on the PGTI between December 2020 and March 2021.

"The resumption of events on the PGTI since November last year was a huge blessing for players like me, as the Asian Tour -- the other tour I play on -- had no events during that time," said Gangjee.

"You can practice as much as you want but playing a tournament is always different in terms of the focus and the feel. Playing on the PGTI helped me keep in touch with these important aspects of professional golf."

Gangjee said that adapting quickly to the Japanese greens would be the most crucial factor to his success in the upcoming events. IANS