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Indian golfers to commence campaign in Asian Games tomorrow

India will have a tough task to attain medal standard and the best hope is Mohammed Rashid Khan, who will have to fight it out with Matsuyama and another top player Hung Chien-Yao of Taipei.

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Indian men and women commence their campaign in the Asian Games golf tomorrow at the Dragon Lake Golf Club as part of a record 113 participants from 19 National Olympic Committee, including Asian amateur men's champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.

India, who will take part in both men's and women's individual and team events, will have a tough task to attain medal standard and the best hope is Mohammed Rashid Khan, who will have to fight it out with Matsuyama and another top player Hung Chien-Yao of Taipei.

"I had been revelling in the dream of becoming a part of the Asian Games for the last two years. So I am feeling extremely happy to make the cut," said the 19-year-old golfer before arriving in Guangzhou.

"But it is only half the journey finished and life will come a full circle for me when our team will hand the country a gold medal at the Games," he added.

The other Indian men competitors are Abhijit Singh Chada, Abhinav Lohan and Rahul Bajaj while the women golfers are Vani Kapoor, Gurbani Singh, Shreya Ghei and Shradhanjali Singh.

South Korea and Japan have dominated the medals in golf in the previous Asian Games with a combined tally of 39, including 15 gold, but could be upstaged by a group of lesser fancied competitors this time with the Indians being in this list.

Korea are the defending champions in all four events and are also the leading medal winners with eight gold, as many silver and seven bronze medals followed by Japan and Chinese Taipei.

India's best-ever show in the sport came at home in 1982 at Delhi when they won two gold and a silver; in Busan, 2002 they won their second gold and in Doha, 2006 the country won a silver.

The number of entrants in the women's competition, in which Filipino Maria Piccio, Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) and Han Jung Eun (Korea) are the front runners for the medals, has increased to 34 here. The field includes four out of the top nine Asian amateurs.

The medals in women's golf, that was introduced two decades ago when China last hosted the Games in Beijing, have been confined to the kitties of Japan, Korea and Taipei.

The stroke-play competition would be held over 72 holes and the event runs till November 20 with team and individual competitions running concurrently.

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