India, April 13 -- Gaurav Ghei, the first Indian to qualify for a major championship, made his first visit to Augusta National Golf Club this year and immediately discovered a regret in what has been an outstanding career - that he never played the Masters.

The Delhi Golf Club legend featured in the 1997 Open Championship at Royal Troon, becoming the torchbearer for the seven Indian golfers after him who made 54 major appearances. Only four Indian players - Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Anirban Lahiri and Shubhankar Sharma - have been invited for the Masters.

The 56-year-old Ghei, who made the front pages in India in 1995 when he won the Gadgil Western Masters in dramatic fashion with a chip-in eagle, was asked by a friend if he wante...