Chandigarh boy wins Noida leg of Hank Haney qualifiers

CHANDIGARH: Youngsters from the city are setting the golfing greens on fire. Names like Aadil Bedi, Vasundhara Thiara and Adilbir Singh have done the city proud at various tournaments on the national stage, over the last year or two.
Add one more name - Karandeep Singh Kochar, who has been in superlative form in the junior golf circuit won the Noida leg of the Hank Haney qualifiers and now stands a chance of participating in the Tournament of Champions, scheduled to be held in Orlando, USA next year.
Karandeep held onto his nerves to clinch the title by hitting a birdie in the first playoff hole. The scores of Sarthak Kohli (83-76) and Karandeep (80-79) were tied at the end of the two-day tournament held in Noida Golf Club, but Karan prevailed in the playoff.
Sarthak, who hails from Jalandhar, had an impressive final day as he joined the top of the leader board by shooting an impressive 4-over par. Karan, however, was the most consistent of the golfers on show as hit a steady 80 on Day 1 and followed it up with a 79 on the final day.
Another Chandigarh golfer Jaiveer Singh, with whom Karandeep had recently won the inter-school golf championship in Gurgaon, bagged the 3rd spot. Karan, meanwhile, is gunning for glory at the international level.
"I am looking forward to some more international tournaments and perform to the best of my abilities. My main focus is to work on all aspects of the game both mentally and physically. My coach Jesse Grewal is helping me a lot," Karan reflected.
And, though he also likes the game of football, but it's teeing and putting, which gives the 14-year-old an adrenaline rush.
"My family is my source of interest in my game. Football is my second love but golf is what I love. I want to be a professional golfer and that too of an international level. Since my childhood, I have been learning the game and hopefully, one day I will master it," he added.
In good form
A student of St John's High School, Sector 26, the ace golfer has represented the nation at the Asia Pacific Junior Golf Tournament, held in Thailand. Recently, he has been in the form of his life winning the individual title in the Inter-School Golf Championship held in Gurgaon. He also bagged the team title for the St John's HS, partnering Jaiveer Singh in the tournament. He also came out trumps in the junior category at the Times-IGP Golf Cup Tournament, held at the Chandigarh Golf Club.
What's Hank Haney qualifiers?
The Hank Haney qualifiers are held in different Asian countries, vis-à-vis India, South Korea, Phillipines, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, China and Malaysia. The winners from each country then compete amongst themselves for the Asian Tournament of Champions. Finally, winners from the Asian round will take on their rivals from other continents at Orlando, USA for the Tournament of Champions.