Chikkarangappa. S of India
- This young man was born to a farmer and grew up to excel in golf. He grew up in Ramanagara, a village situated just outside Bangalore.
- At the age of 10, he joined Eagleton Golf Resort – just two kilometers from his village – to earn some money to add to the earnings pool of his family in order to make ends meet. He was there to work, not golf.
- His rise breaks the myth that golf is a rich man’s sport
- Chikka watched golfers on the course for years and was inspired to pick a tree’s branch and play with it to explore the sport. With that wooden piece he mastered the swing.
- His coach (winner of the India Golf Awards Best Teaching Pro) Vijay Divecha saw talent in Chikka’s swing and urged him to play the sport. Chikka acquired a proper golf club and started practise in earnest.
- Chikka didn’t know English and learnt it on tour. He would initially worry about his practise sessions which talked about ‘open your stance’ and other such golf instructions. But his gut feel played along.
- He played his first junior tournament in Ooty and bagged the second position. Later that year, he participated in another championship at Eagleton at the age of 11 and won his first trophy. His name and picture appeared in the newspaper making his mother jump with joy as she imagined people would ‘recognise’ her son’s talent.
- Chikka won the All-India Amateur in Pune in 2011 becoming the youngest ever to win the competition, in its 109-year history
- Chikkarangappa claimed a breakthrough victory on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2014 when he won the inaugural TAKE Solutions India Masters on his home course. He successfully defended his title in 2015. He was 72 in the Asian Order of Merit when this piece was written. Among his other wins are 2013 CG Open, Mumbai, 2014 Surya Nepal Masters, 2014 PGTI Kashmir Masters, India. He regained his card after finishing inside the top-40 at the Qualifying School in early 2016.
- He is humble and warm and always willing to help and support others. He is mentored by Rahul Dravid.
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