Star golfer SSP Chowrasia is all set to return to competitive golf after seven months of coronavirus-induced break. SSP leaves for Edinburgh on October 11 to participate in the Scottish Championship to be played from October 15-18 in St Andrews. After that he travels to Brescia for the Italian Open.

“Finally I will be returning to golf. The last tournament I played was the Qatar Masters which ended on March 8. I haven’t taken this long a break in the last 22 years,” SSP told The Telegraph on Monday.

SSP was expected to return to action in August but his plans were scuttled due to some “extraordinary circumstances”. Now that he is all ready to do what he knows best, SSP sounded excited. “Initially I was very down after my August plans failed to take off. But slowly I regained my composure and started planning again. The visa problem was there but now that also has been sorted out. I am now all set to walk the fairway,” he said.

SSP got a one-year exemption to 2021 after the European Tour decided to roll over the players exemption eligibility for 2020 by another year.

SSP said playing on the bio-bubble environment would be a challenge. “The guidelines are clear. Once I enter the bio-bubble I will not be allowed to venture out. I will have the mandatory Covid-19 test and after that will be sharing the room with my caddie. We will travel to the course by a bus. This will be a new experience for me,” he said.

The Italian Open begins on October 22 and that means SSP will be missing Durga Puja. “I will be back in the last week of October. Yes, I will miss the Pujas. But I’ll definitely be with my family during Diwali,” he signed off.