Indian Golf in 2015: A Breakthrough Year Says Suhail Chandhok

How Aditi Ashok, Anirban Lahiri, Shubham Jaglan, Chikka put Indian golf on the global map

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Recap: Indian Golf's Biggest Moments of 2015

It’s that time of the year again…Time to wind down on 2015 to reflect on a year gone by and take a look back at a few faces and moments that really shined over the past 12 months, and truly shine they did!

‘Tis also the season to be jolly and for any Indian Golf enthusiast, there’s certain plenty to be chuffed about as we look back at an astonishing 2015. From the enormous success of the Hero Indian Women’s Open & Aditi Ashok’s assault on the Samanah and Amelkis courses in Marrakech at the LET Q School to the very young Shubham Jaglan, with successive World Junior Golf titles and finally to the amazing Anirban, with a place in the world’s top 40 golfers, it’s been a breakthrough year for Indian golf.

PGA Tour’s Top Five Moments Of 2015

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: MAN FOR THE MAJOR
It’s fair to say that no one expected India to have the year we did on some of the world’s finest fairways and greens but the showstopper was certainly Bengaluru boy, Anirban Lahiri. Teeing off at all four majors, a top five finish at the US PGA Championship, 2015’s Asian Order of Merit, wins at the Malaysian & Indian Opens and a well earned spot in the 12-man Presidents Cup Team representing the Rest of the World meant that Anirban achieved what no other Indian has and also pocketed close to $2 million along the way. A goal to finish in the world’s top fifty golfers might have seemed far fetched at the start of 2015 but cracking the top 20 on the European Tour Order of Merit and now a ticket secured for 2016’s first Major at Augusta National means that Anirban is perhaps just getting comfy on the tour, with the best yet to come.

Anirban Lahiri At The Masters

The Anirban Lahiri Video Interview: Watch NOW!

ADITI ASHOK: TRAILBLAZER
If Anirban set the tone with his back-to-back wins early in 2015,17 year old Aditi Ashok complimented it perfectly by giving us a great send off to the year with an assured spot on the 2016 Ladies European Tour. What makes her feat remarkable is the manner in which she went about booking her berth. Aditi chipped in for birdie on her final hole of the 90-hole Q School marathon to give her a 23 under total, breaking the course record along the way in Morocco with a third round of 62. It capped off a record-breaking year for Ashok who’s wins at St Andrews Links, Scotland in June and at the Ladies British Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Leeds must be acknowledged as well.

Cheyenne Woods on being in the spotlight

SMALL WONDER SHUBHAM
Now if you think Aditi’s done more at the age of 17 than you have as a 30 year old, boy wonder Shubham Jaglan’s success will kick your motivation into overdrive (or just make you dig a hole for yourself). The 11-year-old son of a Milkman from Haryana turned into an overnight sensation with his triumph at the Junior World Golf Championships in California, but he then went back-to-back within a week at the IJGA World Stars of Junior Golf event in Las Vegas. With a swing moulded on Louis Oosthuizen and a goal to be India’s answer to Jack Nicklaus and not just Tiger Woods, the sky is certainly the limit for this pocket sized dynamo.

Shubham Jaglan Golf Prodigy

Shubham’s Story: Get to know his humble beginnings

CHIKKA THE CHAMP
Closer to home on the PGTI, Chikkarangappa S consolidated his spot as the Rolex Player of the Year with a fine season ending at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship but the standout for me was young Udayan Mane who’s debut year on the tour included wins at the Oxford Masters and the PGTI Players at Rambagh. The broad-shouldered Bangalorean is on a dream run and is definitely one to keep your eye on heading into 2016. There wasn’t much to write home about for Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur and Arjun Atwal but a couple of unexpected bright sparks came from Chiragh Kumar’s win at the Panasonic Open & from Himmat Rai’s sudden death playoff with Sergio Garcia in Vietnam.

Also Watch: Global Golfers talk of their goals for 2016

YOUNG & HUNGRY
It was a year dominated by the young guns on the world tour with Jordan Spieth, Rory, Jason Day & Dustin Johnson calling the shots but the sun also set on one of the golfing world’s greatests icons with Tom Watson’s Friday farewell in the dark at his final Open at St Andrews. India’s flag is flying higher than ever though and with 9 golfers in the top 60 on the Asian Tour as well, I can’t wait for another watershed year for Golfing Indians in 2016!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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