Team India members – Shat Mishra, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Aryan Roopa Anand, Farzan Heerjee (Council Member, IGU), Rayhan Thomas and Milind Soni at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand
The Indian Golf Union’s seven member Indian men’s amateur squad for Asia’s biggest amateur event – the Asian Amateur Championship, failed to impress as only 3 players made the cut to the final rounds after the first two days.
Aryan Roopa Anand during the competition
In the end, Bangalore based Aryan Roopa Anand, a two-time All India Amateur Champion who recently won the East India Amateur Championship in Kolkata, finished best among Indians finishing 38th after rounds of 75-69-74-71 (1-over 289) at Amata Springs Golf Club.
Delhi’s Krishnav Chopra, now playing his first year of college golf in Los Angeles, son of former international cricketer Nikhil Chopra, shot 70-73-74-76 (5-over 293) to finish tied for 44th, while Shaurya Bhattacharya shot 76-68-75-75 (6-over 294) to finish 47th.
Other Indians who did not make the cut which came at even-par 144 included:
Milind Soni – 74-72 (2-over 146)
Rayhan Thomas – 74-73 (3-over 147)
Shat Mishra – 73-75 (4-over 148)
Australian Harrison Crowe became the third Australian to win the title, shooting 13-under 275 to win by a shot over the towering Bo Jin of China who’s brother Cheng Jin had won in 2015. The win earned Crowe a spot in the 2023 Masters and the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool which has prompted Crowe to delay his plans of joining the pro ranks – so he can take advantage of the two coveted invitations as an amateur.
The tournament is supported by The Masters championship & the R&A of St Andrews and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation ( APGC) which counts 47 countries’ national golf associations as its members.
The IGU’s failing to provide a national team coach or physiotherapist to accompany the team as is normal practice with the other national teams, has come under criticism and continues to hamper the team’s performance.
Six Indians to play Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific this week
The Indian Golf Union’s Indian ladies team led by 16 year old top ranked Indian amateur, Avani Prashanth hopes to better the Indian boys’ performance as they are now headed to Thailand to take on the best amateurs in the region for Asia’s biggest amateur event – the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific at Siam Country Club, Pattaya from Nov. 3-6.
The ladies’ winner earns invitations to play in two majors – the Women’s British Open and the Evian Championship in France – as well as the Hana Financial Group Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Avani just finished 12th at the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurgaon shooting 69,67 on the last two days so should be in fairly good form. Most of the Indian girls are in their mid teens, which follows a global trend. The only exception is US based Sifat Sagoo who plays college golf for Purdue, outside Chicago.
The Indian men’s team who played last week had two US college based players – Krishnav Chopra ( Long Beach State University, California) and Rayhan Thomas ( Oklahoma State University).
List of Indian girls headed to Thailand:
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16-year-old Avani Prashanth from Bangalore
15-year-old Mannat Brar from Chandigarh
18-year-old Kriti Chowhan from Jaipur
15-year-old Ceerat Kang from Chandigarh
16-year-old Nishna Patel from Mumbai
20-year-old Sifat Sagoo of Chandigarh, currently attending Purdue University in USA
Credits:-
Photo – Aryan Roopa Anand