For the humble Ashok, tomorrow never comes

Gurgaon, May 11 (UNI) The myth that golf is a rich man's game has been turned on its head by a farmer's son from the backwaters of Bihar, who sweated it out as a caddie for seven years before bursting on to the scene.

Having caddied from 1995-2001, India's latest golfing star, Ashok Kumar battled heavy odds, with his parents never lending support to his taking to a game that only a handful of Indians played till a few years ago.

Ask the top golfers in the country how they landed up in a golf course, and the often customary reply goes ''My dad introduced me to the game.'' Needless to say all those players had their parent's support and their father's bank balance to fall back upon.

Ashok, however, is an exception to the norm. ''My family never supported me,'' he says without a touch of regret.

Now that his decision to tread the uncharted path has been vindicated, Ashok's parents must be proud of his achievements? ''My parents still don't support me,'' he shockingly reveals.

''They are very old...They don't know about the game still though they did see me in television a couple of times,'' the ever-so-humble Ashok says.

Leading the PGTI Tour, Ashok is literally soaking in a financial hailstorm now, with his earnings hovering around Rs 40 lakhs.

Ashok is now shattering records by the dozen and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jyoti Randhawa and Gaurav Ghei in the greens.

Just last week he shattered the course record at the Crompton Greaves Open in the Bombay Presidency Golf Club, carding an astonishing 19-under par 261 to walk away with the biggest winner's purse of Rs 11,34,000 this year.

''Who knows tomorrow? Everyday is a new day. I don't have any set goals in mind and I don't think about winning or losing,'' he says before teeing off for the DLF Masters at Gurgaon.

For a talent of this stature, it is surprising that Ashok harbours very down-to-earth ambitions.

''My only wish is to play good golf and commit lesser mistakes in the four days. Then lets see where I go from there.'' More UNI