This could just be the most life-changing week for me. On Friday morning, at 8.55am, Kudrat and I were blessed with a baby boy.

As we neared the all-important date, there were some very tense moments for the entire family. A few test results were not up to the doctor’s liking and Kudrat had to spend the past couple of weeks in hospital under observation. Having gone through the pain of losing our baby once, you can well imagine how even the slightest of negative news affected us. However, throughout this time, we had full faith in the Almighty and trust in the amazing doctors at the PGI Chandigarh.

In the end, everything went off well. Both mother and son are doing well and I am a very proud father now. I wasn’t allowed inside the operation theatre, and I had to endure some very nervous moments waiting for the news. The relief and the joy that I felt when one of the doctors came outside and informed us about the successful surgery, cannot be matched, or described in words. And when I first saw the baby, I had tears in my eyes.

I would like to thank a few people. First and foremost, to Dr Dhaliwal and her amazing team at PGI Chandigarh. We could not have found a better doctor to take care of everything. I would also like to thank all my friends and fans for all their support and good wishes, and to the media, for being sensitive to our case.

Ever since we lost the baby in 2008, both our families have been our greatest supporters. I am sure this would have been tough for them, and the joy on their faces on seeing their grandson was perhaps the perfect gift we could have given them for everything that they have done for us.

I am sure this is going to have a huge impact on my game, and I am sure it will be for the better. I was playing last week at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, where I did all right, but the focus was not there 100 per cent. I was happy with the state of my game, and the arrival of the baby will surely give me some added motivation when I play the Dubai Desert Classic next week.

I can assure you I would have pulled out of any other tournament in the world, but I have got a very special relationship with the Dubai Desert Classic. I am a brand ambassador for ‘Golf in Dubai’, the organisers and promoters of the tournament, and Mohammad Juma Buamaim has been a very good friend and a constant support over the years. The only way I would have missed the tournament was if we had the baby during the Classic week.