Amateur Golf: Harjai, Ishnidh to compete for boys’ title; Guntas, Rashi to battle for girls’ crown

Glasgow, Aug 9 (IANS) Indian golfers will be tested when they tee off on two different courses across Scotland starting Monday for the Amateur golf championship.

Harjai Milkha Singh and Ishnidh Singh Virdi will be competing for the boys’ title while Guntas Kaur Sandhu and Rashi Mishra will battle it out for the girls’ crown.

The four-member team, sent by the Indian Golf Union (IGU), is being accompanied by managers Deepinder Singh Kullar and Saaniya Sharma. The tournament will be played for the first two rounds in strokeplay format after which 64 players will progress to the last two matchplay rounds.

The R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship, played since 1921, is one of the most prestigious in junior golf and is played annually in Great Britain and Ireland.

The international field attracts the best junior male golfers from around the globe and former winners include Sir Michael Bonallack, José María Olazábal, Sergio Garcia, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Adrián Otaegui, Tom Lewis and David Howell. The champion earns exemptions into The Amateur Championship and Final Qualifying for The Open.

A total of 144 boy amateurs from more than 30 countries from Europe, Middle East and USA are competing in the tournament which is being held at the Glasgow Gailes Links golf course on the west coast of Scotland.

Harjai, who is ranked No. 1 on the IGU All India Junior Order of Merit and had a runner-up finish at the APGC Junior Championship a month back, is super excited to be competing in Scotland. “It’s a typical Scottish weather out here – windy and rainy at the same time. These are the experiences which you want early in your career if you want to grow into a good professional. It’s a strong field and it will be challenging to post under-par scores each day. My target will be to focus on my process and keep things simple. I would like to thank IGU for giving me this exposure,” the 16-year-old Harjai said.

Ishnidh Singh Virdi, a 17-year-old amateur from Bangalore who is ranked No. 2 on the IGU All India Junior Order of Merit, will be teeing off at the Gailes Links course for the first time. “This is my first time in Scotland. My entire preparation has been about my golf flight as the conditions over here are windy and even rains. These are tough conditions. I would like to thank the IGU for giving me this international exposure as this is Links golf and you get to play such courses very rarely,” Ishnidh said.

First played in 1919, the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship is a highly coveted junior title.

Notable past winners include major champions and Solheim Cup players such as Anna Nordqvist, Suzann Pettersen, Azahara Munoz and Georgia Hall.

The winner gains exemptions into the Women’s Amateur Championship, the US Girls’ Junior Championship, Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open and by tradition, an invite to compete at Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.

A total of 144 girl amateurs from more than 30 countries from Europe, Middle East and USA are competing in the tournament which is being held at the Edinburgh Craigielaw golf course on the east coast of Scotland.

Talking about the preparations and expectations from the tournament, Guntas Kaur Sandhu, 16, said: “I am really excited to be competing in the R&A Girls Amateur. This is my second time coming for this prestigious event. The winner gets an exemption into the final qualifying of the Women’s British Open. The weather is tricky here – it rains anytime and then there are strong winds so keeping the ball in play will be my biggest target. I would like to thank the IGU for sending me for events like these.”

Rashi, 17, who is making her debut in the event, said that events like these offer valuable experiences to amateurs like her to build professional golf careers. “This is an extremely important event. The kind of field you get to play against besides the course conditions and weather is very precious for me as it helps build confidence. IGU has supported me throughout my junior golf journey and I am grateful to them from bottom of my heart,” Rashi said.

–IANS

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