Harjai Milkha bags top honours

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 2

Harjai Milkha Singh won the top honours in the boys’ U-13 category of the US Kids Golf European Championship.

Harjai (13), son of Jeev Milkha Singh, shot a final round of 3-under 69 in an action-packed round that began with two birdies and ended with two bogeys. With seven birdies against four bogeys, Harjai beat his closest opponent by two shots.

Harjai’s win at the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club capped a great week for the Indian squad, which saw another Chandigarh lad, Nihal Cheema, finishing second in boys’ U-7 category at Longniddry Golf Club.

Gurgaon golfer Mahreen Bhatia closed with an eagle to finish second in girls’ 13-14 category, also at Royal Musselburgh.

Bengaluru’s Adit Veeramachaneni was fourth in the boys’ 9 category, while Vihaan Jain was Tied-fifth in boys’ 13 category and Arshvant Srivastava rose with 3-under 69 to finish seventh in the same section.

Ananyaa Sood was fifth in girls’ 12 category and Naina Kapoor was Tied-eighth among girls’ 11 category.

Of 16 Indians who teed up during the week at five famous Scottish golf courses, eight players finished in top 8 or better. All three Indian girls were in top 10.

After rounds of 72-70 on the first two days, Harjai opened with a pair of birdies on the first two holes in the final round. He bogeyed the third, birdied the fifth and then bogeyed seventh and birdied eighth as he turned in 2-under. His closest rival Jordan Botha, who started the final day two behind, was now three behind with the final nine to go.

Both Harjai and Botha picked up momentum on the back nine. Harjai birdied 12th, 13th and 16th to go 5-under for the day. Botha responded with birdies on 13-14-15 to get to 2-under for the day, but the gap was five shots with two holes to play. The Indian youngster wobbled with a bogey finish and Botha managed a birdie on 17, but the winning margin for Harjai was still a handy two shots.

Nihal Cheema starting the final day two shots behind Thailand-based Sean Wilding remained two behind as both players shot 3-over 39 in the final nine round for the U-7 category. Cheema, unable to find any birdie on the last day, finished sole second.

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