India’s junior golfers are making steady inroads in the global Golf terrain and how! Driven by the quest for a place in the history of Golf, the Indian team comprising Aadil Bedi and Kshitij Naveed Kaul earned the much coveted ‘Silver’ medal by finishing runners-up at the 116th Malaysian Amateur Champion Championship at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur.

 

 

 

   

                            Kshitij Naveed Kaul proved his mettle at the Malaysian Amateur Champion Championship

 

 

 

Aadil shot an overall total of 288 while Kshitij carded an overall score of 284 to claim the second spot in the event.

 

 

When 4moles.com caught up with Kshitij Kaul for an exclusive and brief interaction, he said in a happy tone, “It was great to finish 2nd in the team event and also to lead in the field individually after 36 holes with a score of 10 under par, it gives me the confidence to know that I can compete with the field set for Asian Games. It's a privilege to represent India at the Asian Games, to compete with the best players from Asia. It gives a sense of responsibility to add to the gold medal tally of the country.”

 

 

Kshitij and Aadil are among the seven young golfers, who have qualified to represent India at the 18th Asian Games to be held in Indonesia in August.

 

 

 

                                               Aadil Bedi is riding the crest of success 

 

 

 

Harimohan Singh, Rayhan Thomas also made the cut for the multisport event in the men’s team, while Diksha Dagar, Ridhima Dilawari and Sifat Sagoo were selected in the women’s team.

 

 

A total of six rounds were held and the best five were considered as the qualifying score at the trails, which happened from April 22 to 30 at the National Capital Region. The golf event at the Asian Games is scheduled to be held from August 21 to 25.

 

 

When we asked Kshitij to share his views on Junior Golf and making the game more accessible in India, he enthused, “Junior golf is definitely growing in India, Thanks to players like Anirban Lahiri, Shubankar Sharma and Aditi Ashok. They have helped in popularising the game and more and more kids are picking up the game. I feel taking Golf to schools, and setting up driving ranges where anyone can get access to the facilities with definitely help.”

 

 

The future of Junior Golf in India looks upbeat. If the young talented golfers continue with the momentum, the day is not far when Golf in India would become a force to reckon with.