Melbourne, Oct 25 (PTI) It is going to be a windy week at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club as 120 amateurs, including seven Indians, tee up for the 14th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships on Thursday.
It is one of the most awaited amateur events in this part of the world, and this week it will test the young competitors to the fullest as they go about trying to grab a chance to play at the 2024 Masters at the Augusta National and the Open at the Troon.
“It was quite a task playing in these winds. It was chilly and the green were slick and very, very fast. It will be a challenge and let’s see how it goes,” said Shubham Jaglan, who is very keen on a good finish in challenging conditions.
He admitted, “The field is very strong, but there is no reason for us not to do well. We will give our best. I have one and a half years more in college and then I will have a shot at pro golf.
“The PGA Tour U (University) is an amazing route to the PGA Tour, and I would love to do that.” The seven Indians in the field are Jaglan, Kartik Singh, who is just 13, Krishnav Nikhil Chopra, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Yuvraj Singh, Raghav Chugh and Vedant Sirohi.
Only Jaglan, Krishnav and Shaurya have played an AAC before. Also last week Yuvraj and Shaurya played at the World Amateur Team Championship but finished low down in 33rd place.
The conditions will be windy on the first and third days, and scoring could be tough, but these are also among the best amateurs in the world.
This year marks the second time the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is visiting Royal Melbourne.
Quite predictably, when the championship was held here in 2014, it was Australia’s Antonio Murdaca who won by a landslide margin of seven shots, which remains the largest winning margin in the 13 editions held thus far.
India’s best at that AAC at Royal Melbourne was Rigel Fernandes, who finished T-15, as Murdaca of Australia won by seven shots. Fernandes has since turned pro and is giving it a shot on some of the smaller Tours.
The other four Indians that year included Aman Raj, Udayan Mane, Viraj Madappa and Manu Gandas. Aman, Udayan and Viraj play on the Asian Tour while Manu Gandas topped the Indian Tour Order of Merit, and now plays on the DP World Tour, the erstwhile European Tour.
The Australian team, which had Jack Buchanan, finished second at the World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi last week. Buchanan, who is playing here this week, did well in the event.
The Australians have played this course before, so will have a big advantage as Sandbelt golf at Royal Melbourne is quite different from other courses.
The huge advantage is they know where to miss it, but if you don’t then it could be a bogey or worse. Also Golf Australia conducted a camp for the players at Royal Melbourne a few weeks earlier.
Also the locals have been saying that they will need to use the slopes well and flight the irons shots well.
Source: PTI News
