'High chance we will bring home a medal': Yuvraj Sandhu confident ahead of Asian Games

NEW DELHI: Yuvraj Sandhu will be taking the long route to Japan. Back at 'sweet home' Chandigarh for five days, he has no time to rest after going through the rigours of the European Tour. It may be a quick reset in the lap of family, but at the nearby familiar course, there's practice and preparation with coach Gurbaaz Mann to deal with the long stretch ahead.Le Golf National awaits next week for the Open de France at the elegant-sounding Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, under the suburban skies of Paris. There are boxes to tick, and a weekend wish, but the mind travels to the rolling hills of Kasugai Country Club, where the Asian Games competition starts on Sept 30."I played in Japan last year so I have a very fair idea how the golf courses are," he says. "We already have the course mapped out in detail, and the yardages. And I think playing on the DP World Tour has polished my game so I feel ready to tackle the course.""It's rained a lot there recently so the course will definitely be softer. We are expecting ideal weather. Besides, I'm pretty much accustomed to playing in such conditions, I've been playing in the rain four weeks out of the past eight," the 29-year-old adds.Japan golf connoisseur Jeev Milkha Singh has advised the Games-bound golfers to work on their short game, and Yuvraj doesn't need a reminder. "Last year, Jeev sir and I played together at International Series Japan, we stayed close by and had a few meals and he helped me a lot with understanding Japanese conditions in general, and, him being a legend in Japan, he's told me a few things about how to play the courses and I've taken his words to heart."And what about his rapport with the other members of the team, Saptak Talwar and Veer Ahlawat? "It's actually pretty good because we've played a lot of amateur golf together. We've also played junior golf together. Veer is a class senior to us, and he had a European Tour card last season. Saptak also plays on the second-tier Tour so we all have the experience. We are from the same age group so it makes it easier to talk about things around the course. I feel very comfortable going back to Japan, there's a high chance we will bring home a medal."Part of that confidence stems from the Euro grind, of course. "We play in 6 degrees when it's raining and the wind is howling at 40 kms/hr. There is a very big difference between just playing golf, and playing competitive golf in those battling conditions. So I think coping with that sort of mentality makes me more gritty, it makes me a more aggressive player when it comes to favourable conditions, probably like Japan."After winning seven PGTI tournaments in 2025, Yuvraj earned the pathway to the DP World Tour, and it has been a tough initiation. "When you go from a pool to an ocean, it makes a lot of difference. You are swimming with the fishes, and then suddenly you are swimming with the whales and sharks. So you got to grow and the transition takes time, but it's definitely all worth it. I will go to Q-School if things don't go my way. That's the reason I'm playing the sport. That's the dream," says the No. 202 in the Race to Dubai rankings."I've realized that it is important to address other things apart from swinging the club, be it the mental part or the rehab part. I've learned to be a better athlete, not just be a better golfer."A missed cut sometimes doesn't show your gains. "At the last tournament (Omega European Masters in Switzerland), I made seven-over on the first day, but in the second round, I shot 5-under. I played phenomenal golf. Not making the cut didn't really take a lot off my confidence, but somewhere, it does affect you. But your team helps you, and I have always believed in myself. Missing cuts are like making bogeys. You will make bogeys, you will make birdies. And the sooner you accept it, I think the better golfer you will be."Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.