Divjot wins, Arshvant second at USKG Malaysian Championships

By Rahul Banerji

Pint-sized Divjot Gupta had his best day of the week with three birdies late in his round to take top honours in the Boys 8 and Under at the US Kids Malaysian Championships on Thursday.

Divjot, a prolific winner on the Indian circuit, had rounds of 40-37-36 to total 5-over 117 and win by six shots over Indonesia’s Michael Clifton Lumy, who struggled to 5-over 41 on the last day.

In the same category, India’s other entry Ruslaan Alam Khan finished third, USKG said.

India’s notable success at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club was Arshvant Srivastava’s second place in the Boys 13-14.

Arshvant, leader after the first and second rounds, dropped late strokes a final round of 77 to finish one behind Korea’s Kang Geon, whose final round of 73 was good enough for the title/

In the same category, Sohang Har Kantor (79) was seventh and Ved Sai Machiraju (81) T14.

Jot Sarup Gupta (87) finished fourth in Boys 10 and under, which was won by Aoran Zhang of China, who shot 74 in the final round.

Late struggles

The lone Indian girl at Shah Alam near Kuala Lumpur, Kriti Parekh, struggled on the back nine during her round of 82 and finished fourth in the Girls 13-14.

Overall, it was a good outing for the seven-strong Indian contingent with one win, a second place, a third place, and two fourth places.

The three-day event carried WAGR points and granted priority points for US Kids World Championships and European Championships later in the year.

A total of 106 junior golfers from 16 countries, including 37 from Malaysia, competed in the 54-hole tournament.

This was the first regional nationals under the US Kids Golf umbrella in Asia this year and will be followed by events in Thailand, Singapore and India.

Also read: Arshvant. Divjot in the lead at USKG Malaysian Championships