From L-R – Paramjit Singh (Referee), Khalin Joshi, SSP Chawrasia, Major General Bibhuti Bhushan (DG, IGU), Avani Prashanth & Pranavi Urs
16 year old Avani Prashanth of Bangalore and 19 yr old Pranavi Urs of Mysore in Ladies section and Asian Tour winners Khalin Joshi of Bangalore and SSP Chawrasia of Kolkata in the Men’s section came out on top in a gruelling 54-hole selection tournament conducted by the Indian Golf Union at Royal Calcutta Golf Club in Kolkata last week to select the teams for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China this September.
Avani, the recently crowned Asia Pacific International Amateur Individual Champion ( Queen Sirikit Cup) and 2022 Hero Women’s Pro Tour #1, Pranavi Urs led the women qualifiers at 10-under 206 to join Aditi Ashok on the 3 member ladies squad, who was given an automatic selection.
Avani and Pranavi who played and practiced together for a week at Golfshire in Bangalore to prepare for the qualifier also share corporate sponsors in AllCargo Logistics and Chola Investment and Finance Company.
Among men, Anirban Lahiri and Shubhankar Sharma were automatically selected and will be joined by Khalin and SSP.
While Avani, Pranavi, Khalin and Anirban to an extent have developed their games in and around Bangalore, not a single golfer from Delhi NCR has made either team – an almost unimaginable scenario from say 20 years ago when NCR players dominated national teams and there were no top players from Bangalore.
Considering the bulk of India’s best golf courses, driving ranges and coaches are concentrated in the capital, some introspection is required to examine the decline of players from NCR.
India also needs to improve performances at the Asian Games – having won only 3 medals, since the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi when they won two golds and a silver. An Indian girl has yet to win an Asian Games medal but with the Indian women outshining the men internationally in 2023, this could change in China.
Credits:-
Photo – Indian Golf Union