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Chandigarh youth wins Indian Golf Union amateur championship in Kolkata

Playing against Arjun Prasad, Kochhar won the 36-hole final 2 up with one hole to play and became the third player from the tricity in the last six years to win the coveted title, which was first won by JF Macniar in 1892.

Chandigarh youth, karandeep kochchar, chandigarh youth golfer, wins, Indian Golf Union amateur championship, Kolkata, chandigarh sports news, indian express news Karandeep Kochhar (left). (Source: Express)

For the last three days, 17-year-old Chandigarh golfer Karandeep Kochhar has had to play a total of 36 holes twice instead of the usual 18 holes in any tournament in the 116th Amateur Golf Championship of India, conducted by the Indian Golf union at the Royal Calcutta golf Club, Kolkata. Playing against Arjun Prasad, Kochhar won the 36-hole final 2 up with one hole to play and became the third player from the tricity in the last six years to win the coveted title, which was first won by JF Macniar in 1892. Panchkula lads Angad Cheema and Shubhankar Sharma won the title in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

“This is probably my last year as an amateur golfer and to win the All India title is like a dream for me. It was a bit tiring for me this week as I played 36 holes on Friday and today as well. After 23 holes today, I was 5 up and Arjun fought back really hard. The roughs were thick at the course and the greens were playing a bit fast. So it made the conditions tougher. This course hosted the first championships in 1892 and this makes my win special. South African golfer Charl Sehwartzel won it in 2001 and I am honoured to win this,” shared Kochhar, who defeated another Chandigarh golfer Pukhraj Singh Gill in playoffs in the semi-finals.

A regular winner at the IGU circuit, Kochhar started playing golf at the age of three years with his father Sandeep Kochhar and grand father Dr. GS Kochhar. He has won a total of four tournaments in category A in the IGU circuit this year with four second place finishes. Last month, the 17-year-old youngster made history when he became the youngest and only Indian amateur player to win a PGTI event by winning the PGTI Players Championship. He currently sits at the top spot in the IGU order of merit and will play in the All India Junior Golf Championship, which begins from December 19 in at Gurgaon. “Winning the PGTI Players Championship too helped my confidence and I am eagerly waiting for the IGU All India Finals. I plan to turn professional most probably by January next year and my first target will be the Indian Open in March. Even if I do not turn professional, winning the All India Amateur has guaranteed a spot in the Indian Open for me and I am looking forward to the challenge. The DLF Golf Course is one of the toughest in India and it will test my game,” said the youngster, who is a student of St John’s High School, Chandigarh.

Kochhar trains under coach Jesse Grewal, who believes that winning the All India Amateur title will help the youngster before he turns professional. “This is a very important win for Karandeep. He won a professional event, won the All India Amateur title and is almost sure of the IGU All India Finals title win. What more can he ask for in his amateur career? There were some South African golfers playing in the All India Amateur Championships and to emerge as the winner in such a field is tremendous,” shared Grewal.

First uploaded on: 12-12-2016 at 13:23 IST
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