At 16, young Hyderabad golfer Sneha Singh growing in stature

The city golfer stunned the more experienced participants at the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour to pocket the title at the Noida Golf Course on Friday

She is all of 16 but Sneha Singh is growing in stature in the game of golf in India. The talented amateur Hyderabad golfer stunned the more experienced participants at the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour to pocket the title at the Noida Golf Course on Friday. “It is a huge win,’’ said Sneha, who first held the golf club at a very young age of three-and-a-half years before playing on the golf course at the age of six.

But it was one of the big days for Sneha, a student of DPS Khajaguda in city, on Friday as she triumphed. “I was not nervous but a little bit tense on the first day on Wednesday. We are all playing big-time golf after a long gap of nine months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. I had little practice and I could have a good practice one week before the Noida tournament. That helped me a lot. During the lockdown period, I made it a habit to swing the golf club 100 times at home. There was a little bit of putting and chipping also at home. It kept me in the scheme of things,’’ said the excited golfer from the city.

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On her fine run at Noida, Sneha said she went into the tournament with an open mind but in the end she emerged champion. Her closing 74 gave her a total of one-over 217. “I wanted to play my normal game and did not want to invite any pressure. I could see my game improving and there were a couple of good shots though at times I bungled with some simple putting. But I kept my nerves and held on the lead. On the final day, I made a few mistakes but in the end I could win the title. It was one of the best shows of my career so far as I could compete and win against the big names of Indian women’s golf.”

With father Sanjay being a coach and mentor, golf came naturally to Sneha. “She was always a keen observer. When she first held a golf club, she got a liking to the game. I was surprised but I knew that if I encouraged her, she could make a mark in the game. Most importantly, she worked very hard and we ensured that her basics were strong. She had a good game sense also,” said a proud Sanjay.

She became number one in the South Zone in juniors at the age of seven and winning became a habit. In 2015, she began to play in Indian Golf Course. It was a huge experience and in 2019 at the age of 15 she made rapid strides and won the maiden Pro-Golf title in Hyderabad. “It is all about calm, fitness and focus while playing golf. My role model is the legend Tiger Woods. He plays a perfect game and is always cool even during tough times. He is a legend,’’ said Sneha.

The young prodigy won the National girls junior title and had the opportunity to represent in the World Championship in Scotland. But she missed the tournament because of Covid-19. “It was unfortunate. My ambition is to play for India before turning professional,” said the confident Sneha.

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