By Rahul Banerji
For 15-year-old Noida girl Anika Varma, June 17 will be a day to remember as she qualified for the 71st edition of the USGA girls’ championship that will take place next month.
Anika, now based in Sacremento, California, came through in one of the 41 qualifying events for the United States Golf Association’s premier tournament for junior women to be held at SentryWorld in Wisconsin from July 22 to 27.
Not counting exemptions, the Wisconsin tournament will have a field of 156
Delhi-based coach Romit Bose has steered much of Anika’s career though for the present, she is under the watch of Sacremento-based Noah Montgomery, who has also worked with Gaganjeet Bhullar.
Bose, also currently in the US, posted on Instagram: “Proud of you for making it to 71st USGA girls championship … this is a super achievement for the country and RBG. Well done.”
Anika was one of eight golfers coming through from the tournament at Corral De Tierra Country Club in Salinas, California. She was two shots behind the winning total of 71 and placed in the middle of the qualifiers’ list, one of a small handful of international golfers going through to the main event so far.
Solid record
Sixth in the Indian Golf Union’s amateur ladies order of merit having appeared in five of the 11 events counted towards the rankings, she plans to play the IMG World Master Junior in San Diego and the US Women’s Amateur Qualifying to be held in Roseville next.
According to the USGA website noting, “In June 2018, Anika Varma achieved no. 1 position in India in Women’s Amateur Golf (Indian Golf Union). She also achieved no. 1 position in Junior Girls in India in 2017 (Indian Golf Union).
“At the age of 13, she won the All India Junior Girls Championship- 2017. She started playing the Indian National Circuit at the age of 8 and has been a top performer ever since. Anika is part of Indian National squad and has represented India in many prestigious tournaments.”
“Most recently before leaving for the Unite States, she won the EasternIndia ladies and junior girls championship in Kolkata, had a fourth place finish in the sixth leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at Greater Noida’s Jaypee Greens.
She was also a member of the Queen Sirikit Cup played in Australia where she finished tied sixth overall with a three-round total of 219, ahead of team mates Hitaashee and Jahnavi Bakshi.
Gagan on the move
Meanwhile, on the European Tour’s BMW Championship in Munich on Thursday, Gaganjeet Bhullar was tied sixth on 3-under par 69 in a massive group three shots behind clubhouse leader Andrea Pavan of Italy (66).
Play was suspended towards the close due to the threat of lightning with Englishman Oliver Wilson and Martin Kaymer of Germany provisionally second on 5-under 67s, one behind the leader.
Bhullar had two birdies and an eagle on the 507-yard par-5 11th hole, but was to drop a shot a couple of holes later.
Two-time Indian Open winner S.S.P. Chawrasia was the best of the other Indians in the field on 3-over par after 11 holes while Shiv Kapur was 6-over after 15.
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