CHANDIGARH,17.01.20-(Golfoy): From time to time, Indian golfers have proved their worth but still they don’t get as much appreciation as they deserve. One of such unsung champion brewing amongst us is Chandigarh’s Anant Singh Ahlawat who has been India’s #1 Amateur golfer & finished inside top 15 in the 2019 IGU Rankings.

Recently he got picked by the Indian Golf Union to Represent India at two Australian golf events in 2020; the Australian Amateur Golf Championship and the New South Wales Amateur Championship. This is a back-to-back success for the young golfer, as he was chosen for these events for the 2019 season as well.

“I was actually playing in Bahrain during the time I received the news of my selection and was feeling a bit low about my performance in the final round at Bahrain but then I received the email that I had gotten selected to play and I just looked at it as another opportunity to play well and make my country proud. So I just went straight to practice within 10 minutes of receiving the email.” - Anant Singh Ahlawat.

At the time of selections, Ahlawat was ranked 5th in the 2019 IGU Amateur Ranking, and that is what helped him to qualify for the two 2020 events. In Australia, the level of competition is soaring, and the weather is also pretty harsh with sudden storms & rains, also there are no caddies and the golfer’s need to keep calm and handle the pressure. “I’ve played the same events in 2019 but at different venues. I’ve learned a lot from the previous exposure and I’ve made some changes to how I’ll be approaching certain situations.”

Anant’s golfing journey began when he was 13. He was introduced to the game by his father’s friend (Mr. Wadaich) who was at that time the captain of the Chandigarh Golf Club. Anant started attending the beginner’s camp during his summer vacation twice a week for two months. But he solely involved in golf on the very first day and onwards he would go almost every evening to practice.

Answering about his initial years in sports he said “I grew up in Chandigarh and was always infatuated by sports. I used to play cricket and attend coaching classes in the evening. I learned a lot about discipline from my days of playing cricket. Although I was young but I would always try and train with my seniors and always believed that I could challenge them. I think playing a team sport like cricket, has also helped me gain an advantage in an individual sport like golf.”

Every great story has a supporting role and for Anant his father has always played that part. Although Anant’s father followed him into golf, but has always been a positive critic of his game. His mother and his elder brother actively encourage him and inspire him to perform his best at both on & off the golf course.

Ahlawat believes that 2018 has been a definitive year in his career so far. He won the 118th All India Championship in 2018, a tournament with some of the best Indian professionals with their name on its winning board, such as Shubhankar Sharma, Chikkarangappa S, and Angad Cheema.

2019 had been a year full of international tournaments for Anant & he hasn’t played much on the Indian golf circuit, to this he added “It’s tough not being able to give my 100% on the national tour and losing important ranking points but I played a lot of new golf courses and I have learned a lot of new skills and I’m just looking forward to practicing them and put all of it into play in 2020. It’ll definitely be a year where I’ll be trying a lot of new things before I turn professional.”

After two weeks in Australia, he has some time off before the national tour begins again in March. “I’ll be preparing for that and improving my ranking so I qualify for more international events to follow. But my main focus for the year is to work on my fitness and maximizing my performance to match the ever-evolving game of golf.”

From Cricket to Mastering golf, this young man has definitely shown immense mental strength, discipline and hunger for success which makes him one of the hottest upcoming golfer of the new decade.