The casual exterior could not hide the excitement on the faces of four youngsters sitting across the table.

Understandably so, as the next fortnight might be the stepping stone to a brighter future for them.

The Asia-Pacific Golf Championship for the Nomura Cup in Taipei, beginning on October 2, will see the youthful Indian team vie with some tough opponents, but that will also be the occasion for them to prove they are indeed the future of Indian golf.

It is a special tournament for 20-year-old Anirban Lahiri and Joseph Chakola -- the oldest member of the squad at 22 -- as the four-day event will be their last amateur tournament. The Asian Games silver medalists will be eager to mark their progress into the pro-field with a stirring performance.

Chakola had spent the last few months in Italy with renowned coach Cissiochi, and the Indian golfer will be eager to demonstrate his improved skills.

The Italian stint resulted in Chakola missing the entire domestic circuit and the selection trials for the Nomura Cup held in Delhi in July, but he has been drafted into the side taking into account his overall performance and form.

Significant

For the 14-year-old Chikkarangappa and 17-year-old Rahul Bakshi, the other members of the Indian squad, the tournament will hold a lot of significance as they will be competiting at this level for the first time.

Their skill as well as temperament will come in for a stern test, and their performance will be a sign post to the future.

Eight-day camp

The four-member squad along with non-playing skipper K N Shanth Kumar and coach Vijay Divecha will leave for Taipei on Thursday after an eight-day camp at the Eagleton Golf Course.

“We have focused on mental aspects in the camp, besides golfing skills. The calm atmosphere in Eagleton was a great help in this regard.

“The mental aspect in training was given more weight because the golf course will be your main opponent,” Shanth Kumar said here on Wednesday.

Divecha also rated the camp as a proper start to the gruelling days ahead. “The guys had shown good form in trails, and we are looking forward to playing up to our potential in the tournament.,” he said. “Hopefully, these youngsters can raise their performance,” Divecha added.

Benefits of the camp

Lahiri was stating the obvious when he described the benefits of the camp. “The camp was a great experience for all of us. Personally, we have worked on areas that needed to be improved.  I have worked on my drives and putting during the camp and others have also worked on their respective shortcomings,” he said.