North, South zone US Kids Golf India legs broaden event base

By Rahul Banerji

A number of winners from the first two legs of the US Kids Golf North and South tours will see action in back-to-back events this week at the Classic Golf and Country Club and the KGA in Bangalore.

With the season now taking in the South Zone as well with the West to be added soon, participation numbers have shot up.

The two kegs will see more than 120 children take to the two golf courses across different age groups in both cities.

Many of them are looking at carrying on their winning streak at the iconic Jack Nicklaus course near Gurgaon and at the KGA.

While the established names seek more wins, the rest will try and snatch some glory for themselves.

Easier schedules

The staging of the North and South tours means local players have more opportunities to play nearer home without needing to travel long distances.

Meanwhile, the introduction of the US Kids Golf Series in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia has helped enlarge the footprint of US Kids Golf Asia, which Is headquartered in India.

Each event in South-East Asia has attracted more than 100 entries, while the events in India have been getting 60-80 each. Close to 900 young golfers have already competed in the events held so far.

“The growing numbers in South-East Asia and India mean we will be getting over 2,500 entries across multiple age groups this season,” said Rajesh Srivastava, President US Kids India and Asia.

“That is a massive number. We will have three-day national championships in each country and an Asian Championships on the lines of US Kids European and World Championships in a year or so

“With each country keen to host more events in more regions, the numbers are expected to shoot up soon.

Home opportunity

“Our idea is to give more golfers a chance across Asia, and India will also benefit in the process. As we spread further and reach 8-10 nations by the end of 2024, we will have a US Kids Asian Tour,” added Srivastava.

“This provides us a massive pool of talent in Asia, which can soon produce champions at Majors and on the PGA and LPGA Tours.”

Rahul Ganapathy, the Bangalore tournament director and a former PGTI winner, said, “We were thrilled by the response in the first two events and that enthusiasm carries on for the next two days.

“I am sure many of these kids will do well here and at the Indian Championships.”

Added North Zone tournament director, Amit Dube, who played with Ganapathy on the Pro Tour, “I am amazed at the pool of talent. So young and full of excitement and bubbling with energy. Hats off to them and their parents for bringing to them this game.”

Specified yardages

One of the highlights of US Kids Golf Series is that the junior most categories compete over nine holes on age-specific yardages tailored for them.

These distances are used through the whole series for all age groups while US Kids also produces age-specific equipment to prevent injuries.

Many of the world’s top golfers, in and outside India, have emerged from the US Kids Golf series, which has more than 2600 events in over 60 countries.

Golfers qualify for the European Championships in Scotland and the World Championships in Pinehurst on the basis of their performances and scores on local Tours.

Through these, they gain priority status and also AJGA Stars, which in turn help them qualify for other events in the United States.

Also read: Guntas, Amaira, Danish, Bainsla stand out at US Kids Golf North