'If my mind is free, half the game is won': Mohammad Azhar finds his breakthrough at Kolar Open

NEW DELHI: For six years, Mohammad Azhar has quietly chased improvement rather than applause. The Kolar Open champion may have finally lifted one of the biggest titles of his professional career, but ask him what changed since turning pro in 2020 and his answer isn’t about trophies, rankings or prize money.“The biggest improvement in my game has been my driver,” Azhar said. “Earlier, I used to hit a lot of duck hooks. Now I’m able to hit controlled shots, and that gave me confidence.”That confidence became the foundation of his triumph at the Kolar Open, where the Hyderabad-based golfer produced four remarkably composed rounds without ever allowing the occasion to dictate his game. Ironically, winning was never part of the plan.“I never thought about winning. My only focus was to keep following my process every day.”It’s an approach that sounds simple but reflects one of golf’s hardest lessons, resisting the temptation to think about the leaderboard.Born in Mathura and settled in Hyderabad for nearly a decade, Azhar’s journey into golf began with family. His elder brother, Mohammad Arek, introduced him to the sport while coaching at the Army Golf Course in Mathura. That relationship shaped not only his swing but also his life.“My brother taught me golf. He’s no longer with us,” Azhar says softly, recalling the accident that claimed his brother’s life. “After he passed away, I left Mathura and moved to Hyderabad. It was his dream.”Today, Azhar competes without a personal coach, relying instead on experience, self-belief and the support of people who believed in him during difficult years.“So many people including Hyderabad golf association all members and Rupinder Singh Gill helped me” he says. “Someone gifted me irons, someone gave me a driver, others helped with tournament expenses and sponsorships. I can’t even count all the names.”Among those closest to his journey is the Hyderabad Golf Association, which he calls his “home turf” and credits for providing a platform to grow.His victory at Kolar was built on precision rather than aggression. The driver, once his biggest weakness, became his greatest weapon as he repeatedly found fairways across four rounds.“I think I won with my driver,” he says. “I hardly missed the fairway.”Yet the defining moment arrived in the final round, when Azhar began two shots behind the leader. Instead of chasing birdies, he slowed himself down literally.“I control my breathing. I don’t walk fast, I don’t become overexcited. When my breathing is under control, my mind stays cool.”That breathing routine has become his reset button during pressure situations. He admits there were tournaments in the past where he led by two or three shots and still failed to convert because his mind drifted toward the trophy instead of the next shot.“I’ve been in that situation before,” he says. “The moment I started thinking about winning, I stopped following my process.”At Kolar, his target was refreshingly modest: finish every round under par.“Whether it was one-under or five-under didn’t matter. I just wanted to be under par every day.”The victory also comes at a fascinating time for Indian golf. The partnership between the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and DP World has significantly raised prize purses and created new opportunities for domestic professionals.Azhar believes the impact is already visible.“The competition has increased a lot because the prize money has gone up,” he says. “More players are interested now, and everyone wants to compete.”But he also points to a reality that often goes unnoticed. While international golfers arrive with multiple sponsors printed across their shirts, many Indian professionals step onto the first tee carrying financial worries alongside their golf bags.“You’ll see foreign players with three or four sponsor logos,” he says. “They’re free-minded and enjoy their golf. We’re often thinking about making the cut, earning money and travelling to the next event. That pressure stays in our heads.”For Azhar, greater sponsorship isn’t merely about comfort it’s about unlocking performance.“If my mind is free, half the game is already won,” he says.As he prepares for the next stretch of the PGTI season, that philosophy remains unchanged. Rankings, titles and qualification dreams for bigger tours are important, but they remain secondary to the daily discipline that carried him to Kolar.Indian golf is steadily expanding its global footprint, and players like Mohammad Azhar represent its resilient middle ground, talented enough to win, grounded enough to know that success is rarely built on one spectacular shot. Sometimes, it begins with something as quiet as a controlled breath, a fairway found, and the patience to trust the process.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.