With Indian girls increasingly leaving Indian shores to seek better tournament and coaching opportunities in USA, the Arizona Women’s Open saw 3 Indian girls compete last week.
26-year-old, former Bangalorean Nikita Arjun posted scores of 68-73-75 (216) to finish Tied-12th at the Arizona Women’s Open, her -best finish since turning professional in 2018.
She said, “It’s good to see all the hours of practice with my coach William Eldrenkamp at the Legacy Golf Resort, Arizona starting to pay off. Finished this season strong and excited to take this momentum…work on it more and take it into next year! ” I’ll be ready in March for the Symetra and Women’s All Pro Tour. Time for the off season now”.
RELATED: Always on the Go – Nikita Arjun
Nikita did her schooling in Bangalore at Canadian International School and moved to the USA in 2014. She played her first college season for Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina and spent the next three years at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia.
Anika Varma
Photo: Noah Montgomery
The other Indians in the field included former Delhi girl Anika Varma, who Tied-21st with scores of 74-73-72 (+3) and Nishtha Madan Tied-56th. Anika and Nishtha both have had stellar seasons in 2020. Anika became the first Indian ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur, and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Fourball. She has had two runners-up finishes on the Cactus Tour. Anika now ranks 150th on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), making her the best-ranked Indian.
Nishtha Madan
Photo: Noah Montgomery
Nishtha, also from Delhi, turned professional in May this year, and already has three victories to her name – Kentucky Women’s Open, Sun City Fall Championship and Apache Creek. Nikita, along with Nishtha now calls Arizona her home.
We will be following the progress of these ambitious young Indian girls as they try to make their mark in USA with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the super competitive and lucrative LPGA Tour.