This has been a good year for the city golfers who are proving their mettle in the amateur circuit after honing their skills on the Toyota-IGU Junior Tour. Khalin, ranked No.1 and Chikka, ranked a close No.2 on the IGU Order of Merit have taken the amateur tour by storm. Having dominated the junior circuit, Chikka and Khalin are two of the brightest stars to have emerged from the Toyota-IGU Junior Tour which aims to help young golfers hone their skills and prepare for bigger challenges. In recognition of their talent, they were selected to represent the Asia-Pacific team in the prestigious Bonallack Trophy held in Portugal in April this year. With their promising performances, Chikka and Khalin have been named in the Indian squad for the World Amateur Team Championship - Eisenhower Trophy - to be held at Antalya Golf Club's PGA Sultan Golf Course in Turkey from the 4th to 7th of October this year.
Winner of the TATA Steel Western India Amateur Golf Championship, Khalin Joshi, sharing his thoughts on being a part of the amateur tour said, "There are so many talented golfers on the amateur tour and every day is a different challenge. It is not easy to compete and win against the likes of Chikka, Angad (Cheema), Trishul (Chinnappa) and Saqib (Syed Saqib Ahmed) but I am thankful that I have had a good year so far. I hope that I can do well through the rest of the year as well."
Elaborating on his experience on the tour this year, Chikkarangappa said, "I have had some good wins on the junior circuit, but transitioning to the amateur tour has been a great experience. Competing in the junior tournaments has helped me groom for the bigger challenges and I have had a good year on the tour so far. Playing at the prestigious Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy has given me great exposure and I hope this will hold me in good stead for the rest of the year on tour."
Speaking about the young protégés, Mr. Shekar Viswanathan said, "Chikka and Khalin are extremely talented golfers and have done exceptionally this year. They symbolise golf as a young sport in India and it gives us great pleasure to honour and recognize their immense achievements at such a young age. They are bright prospects for Indian golf and we hope that they continue to make the country proud."
Mr. Rishi Narain, M D, Rishi Narain Golf Management and former Asian Games gold medallist, congratulated the youngsters saying, "Chikka and Khalin had shown great promise on the junior tour and we are glad that this has translated into titles on the amateur circuit. With Toyota and Indian Golf Union working towards building and strengthening a structured platform for the youngsters to display their skills and progress up the ranks, we are hopeful that there will be a new breed of talent who can take golf to the next level in India."
Following their good showing at the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy, Bangalore is eagerly awaiting to see its favourite golf stars in action at the Toyota Karnataka Golf Festival from the 6th to 9th of September at the Karnataka Golf Association.
Sourced From: Rishi Narain Golf Management
