COVID derails Shiv Chawrasia's European Tour plans
The six-time Asian Tour winner is in quarantine in Kolkata after testing positive for coronavirus having planned to play four events in the UK this summer.
Golf
Instead of bidding to add to his four European Tour titles, Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia is in quarantine at home in Kolkata.
The 42-year-old was preparing to resume his season on the European Tour when a mandatory blood test taken on July 31 prior to travelling to England found him positive for COVID-19.
Chawrasia told the Press Trust of India news agency. "I was not feeling any discomfort. It was just a precaution before travelling as I have a lot of events coming in the UK.
"I did not have symptoms. All was normal but I had to have a test because that is needed to fly out. The test turned out to be positive and I have been advised home quarantine."
The Rio 2016 Olympian had been training at the Royal Calcutta Golf Course and has informed all those he was in contact with before the results came through.
He is taking prescribed multi-vitamins and will be in home quarantine for two weeks.
"I am feeling perfectly fine and don't seem to have any symptoms. There is no weakness, no fever and I am feeling active,” - SSP Chawrasia speaking to PTI
Chawrasia staying upbeat
Having last played in Qatar on the European Tour in March, Chawrasia had planned to return to the golf course by playing in four events on the six-week UK swing.
A six-time Asian Tour winner, he could play only four events in the calendar year - all of them in Asia - before the pandemic suspended sporting events as nations went into lockdown.
He made the cut in all of them, finishing tied for 22nd in Hong Kong, T32 in Singapore, T25 in Oman and T28 in Qatar.
Chawrasia was hoping to join Shubhankar Sharma who is currently the only Indian competing in Europe.
Arjun Atwal, meanwhile, has been on the PGA Tour in the United States and competed in the Barracuda Championship last week, while Anirban Lahiri has his eyes on the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina later this month.
There are no Indian players taking part in the US PGA Championship at Harding Park, San Francisco, beginning on Thursday (August 6), the first major since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.