Smooth category transition sets things up for local golfer

For most of the golfers,one of the most tough things during the early part of the career is the transition from one age category to another. This April,When local lad Karandeep Kochhar played in the Golden Greens Golf Tournament at Gurgaon,it was the first time that the youngster was taking part in the ‘C’ category. Kochhar finished tenth in the tournament before claiming the third spot in the IGU tournament held at Ooty in May in the same category. Continuing the fine form,Kochhar also claimed the fifth spot in the IGU Tournament at Coimbatore and the youngster is aiming to hit peak form in his new category in the coming months.

“I turned 11 on May 25 and I also took part in the ‘C’ category evets in April. It was a learning experience for me and it definitely helps when one plays in the higher age categories. The competition at Gurgaon was stiff and Ooty also saw the participation of India’s top ranked junior golfers. The weather was great and I enjoyed playing there,” says Kochhar. The youngster also claimed the second spot in the ‘D’ category in the 31 st Asian Pacific Junior Golf Championship held at Eagleton Golf Resort,Banagalore last month. More than 100 golfers from eight countries took part in the tournament in which Puwitt from Thailand claimed the top spot in the ‘D’ category. “It was my last tournament in the ‘D’ category and I wanted to perform better. The conditions were fantastic in Bangalore and the competition was really tough. The Indian contingent saw the presence of a lot of young golfers and we all exchanged a lot of new things with each other,” says the young golfer. Kochhar will now be practicing at Chandigarh Golf Club and CGA Range before he gets ready to take part in the IGU tournaments in August later this year.

“I will utilise the free time ahead while practicing with my coach Jessie Grewal and I am looking forward to taking part in the IGU tournaments later this year. Hopefully,it will be good transition for me from ‘D’ category to ‘C’ category this year,” says the youngster.