Kartik Singh (Asia Pacific Amateur Championship)
13-year-old
Kartik Singh, a Gurgaon-based golfer who trains at DLF Golf Academy under the tutelage of Anitya Chand and Karan Bindra, carded rounds of 78-72-81-77 to register a tied-59th finish at a total score of 24-over at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.
Singh made history as the youngest competitor at the age of 13 years, nine months, and 22 days. He achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the youngest golfer to make the cut, surpassing the previous record held by China's Tianlang Guan, who was 14 years and eight days old when he reached the weekend at Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand in 2012.
Singh, the youngest-ranked Indian golfer, boasts a tally of six wins in 2023 alone. Remarkably, in the previous year, he achieved a perfect win rate, securing all seven titles on the domestic IGU's National Junior Golf circuit.
Young Singh is gradually becoming accustomed to adding "firsts" to his list of achievements. This marked his inaugural experience representing India in a team event, following his earlier distinction as the first Indian to receive an invitation to the US Junior Amateur at the Daniel Island Golf Club in South Carolina in July, where he also held the title of the youngest competitor on the course.
Singh embarked on his golf journey at the tender age of six, citing Tiger Woods and Shubhankar Sharma as his golfing role models. Apart from golf, Singh also displays a keen interest in various other pursuits, including tennis, swimming, chess, and solving Rubik's cubes.
“Kartik, as a player, thrives on elevated competition and challenging conditions," Singh’s father, Capt. Dhananjay Singh, an Indian Naval Officer, said. "He eagerly anticipated his participation in this highly acclaimed amateur tournament. Known for his intense competitiveness, Kartik wasted no time in Melbourne, immersing himself in rigorous practice, particularly dedicating hours to decipher the swift greens.”
Singh's father was also his caddy in the championship.
His father added, "Although he exudes unwavering confidence in his striking, driving, and long irons, he was well aware that mastering these new putting conditions would be his most formidable challenge. Nevertheless, he tackled this challenge with exceptional focus, patience, and unwavering dedication on the practice greens."
Kartik's recent collaboration with Callaway facilitated a seamless arrival in Melbourne, alleviating any concerns he may have had, even from afar in India.
“Callaway, recognizing Kartik's potential, has provided him with equipment support, and he underwent his first professional fitting at the Melbourne Callaway Performance Centre on the day we arrived here in Melbourne," Dhananjay Singh said. "However, we did not want to change the clubs just before a competition of this stature, so he played with his old bag.”
Kartik created history at the tournament and gained invaluable insights from competing against the world's top talents. As he looks ahead to his upcoming tournaments, he exudes newfound confidence in his abilities.
"It was truly an exceptional learning experience for me," Kartik Singh said. "I believe that as I venture onto other courses from here on, I'll find them considerably more manageable, allowing me to achieve even better scores in the days to come."
Jasper Stubbs from Australia secured victory in a thrilling tournament that culminated in a three-way playoff featuring the Chinese pair of Sampson Zheng and Wenyi Ding.
Related: JASPER STUBBS TRAVELS JUST TWO MILES FROM HOME TO WIN THE ASIA PACIFIC AMATEUR
ABOUT THE Asia-Pacific Amateur
The Asia-Pacific Amateur (formerly known as the
Asian Amateur) is the first of a series of
worldwide
championships put together by a between the
Asia
Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters
Tournament and The R&A. The event offers the
winner an invitation to the Masters Tournament at
Augusta National Golf Club and the British Open
Championship.
The event has historically moved throughout the
region and has now been held in China,
Japan, Singapore, Thailand,
Australia and Hong Kong, Korea, and New
Zealand.
A field, topping out at 120 players, is selected by
the
following criteria.
The top two ranked amateur players from
each
of the APGC member countries plus the four
top ranked players from the host country. If
there is not a sufficient number of players
ranked from that member country, the
member
country may nominate a player(s) from
their
country, to be approved by the APGC, to
fulfill
the two positions eligible from that country.
The remainder of the field will be filled
taking
the next highest ranked players of APGC
member countries, not otherwise qualified.
The
maximum number of eligible players from
any
APGC member country (with the exception
of
the host country) is six. Additional players may
be offered at the event's discretion.
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