The Delhi Golf Club boy, who got into golf six years ago, will play the two-staged PGTI qualifying school from January 5, but the decision is borne more out of compulsion than a sudden spurt of maturity in his game.

“My coach and I felt that it was the right time. I could have hung on in the amateur circuit, but without one of the oil companies sponsoring you, it becomes hard,” Rudresh says, talking to Sportline on Friday.

Rudresh, whose uncle Vinod caddies at the DGC, was 13 when he made it through to the club’s Junior Training Programme. With the scholarship from there, travelling around for tournaments was easy, but that stopped last year after he turned 19.

No fear

Rudresh has been win-less in his two years on the circuit, but he finished second at the Golden Greens Amateur this past September behind club-mate Rashid Khan, and thought it was time to jump into choppier waters. There is some apprehension, but not any fear. “You need to play your best wherever you play, so it’s just a question of getting the best out of yourself,” says Rudresh. “Adjusting to it might take time, but at least I’ll know I’ll be on the right track.”