Nov 8, 2016: The 8th edition of Albatross International Junior Golf Championship India 2016 was held from November 8 at Classic Golf & Country Club, Manesar NCR Delhi. With over 160 participants in the age group of 6 to under 18 from across India and overseas demonstrates the interest and popularity of the Championship.
The players from Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE and South Africa form 1/3rd of the field. The top Indian players would certainly be formidable competitors in their home course.
The Championship is ranked by R&A for World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). The Championship is co-ranked by Junior Scoreboard USA. The Indian Golf Union has been kind enough to sanction the Championship. Asia Pacific Junior Golf Association, an association of countries in Asia Pacific including Australia, Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand and Albatross India has co-sanctioned the Championship.
The Championship has for the last many years been supported by International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) USA. About 15 junior golfers have joined IJGA ever since and many of them have graduated to leading colleges in USA. Interestingly, most of them have got scholarships and are part of the college golf teams. There are many other junior who have played the IJGA supported/hosted championships and their performances in those championships have gone a long way in their admission to colleges in USA. The Bishop Gate Golf Academy, together with IJGA under the same group, form a formidable golf programs and are one of the best golf academies in the USA.
The Championship has also been supported by Hills Golf Academy, one of the leading golf Academy in Australia and which takes pride in nurturing the best golfers. No wonder the current world No.1 Jason Day is the produce of Hills Golf Academy.
The various winners and participants in the past editions of Albatross International since 2009, have gone on to become top professional golfers and are today occupying the top spots in the Indian, Asian and world rankings.
The present Championship has very competitive field. While the Indian challenge is by top juniors Manav Bias, Adil Bir Singh, Harshjit Sethi, Amrita Anand, Spith Saggo, Arshia Mahant, Ananya Barthakur. The top Thai juniors Bhumkit and Jidapat along with other 22 Thai players in each of the categories are not going to make things any easier for their competitors. Aaerishna Balakrishnan and Yong Fatt Hoe are leading the charge for Malaysia. Nicha Yen, Thanaporn, Phuripon and Bhavneet are leading the charge from Australia. The South African team of Kajal, Casandra, Alkin and Carl, from the land of Garry Player, are the top contenders. The four players from Bangladesh Lima, Naseema, Rehman and Abdul Qadir are the top ranked junior golfers. The John Burki from Sweden, the lone Swedish player in the field, is also likely to be a player to be watched. The three players from Dubai, UAE led by Chordia, who has good experience of the Classic Golf Course would be a player to watch-out too.
The Albatross Junior Tour, founded by parents of junior golfers in the year 2007, is non-existent without the whole-hearted support from parents of junior golfers ever since its foundation in the year 2007. AJT has certainly played its role in last nine years of its existence and takes pride and only pride when it finds that the players who have gone on to become world-level players, Olympians, top professional golfers and winning tournaments in Indian, Asia and across the world, have at some point in their golfing career have been part of the Albatross Junior Tour.
As the Albatross enters 10th year of its existence, they propose to set up Albatross Hall of Fame including these top junior golfers.
