Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Indian golf sensation Kartik Singh has developed a keen fondness for Malaysia, having spent two memorable weeks here competing in back-to-back tournaments.
The 13-year-old from Gurgaon flew to Kuala Lumpur from Melbourne two weeks ago after competing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in cold and windy conditions at Royal Melbourne, where he set a new record as the youngest player to make the cut in the prestigious event.
Just a few days after arriving in Malaysia and acclimatising to the heat and humidity, Kartik teed off in the 2nd Selangor International Junior Championship and continued his fine form with a second-place finish.
In the junior event at the challenging Seri Selangor Golf Club, Kartik took the first day lead with a 69 but fell back with a second round 74. A closing 70 gave him a three-under-par 203 total, but he lost out by one shot to 17-year-old Filipino Jacob Cajita following an enthralling final-day battle which saw both players birdie their last three holes.
As Cajita was unable to extend his stay in Malaysia, the runner-up finish earned Kartik a start in the following week’s PKNS Selangor Masters, an Asian Development Tour event at the same venue. Although he missed the cut in his first foray in a professional event, the well-spoken youngster learned a lot from the experience.
“The PKNS Selangor Masters was my first pro tournament and it was a new experience for me. I really enjoyed it. The Seri Selangor course is very challenging and was in good condition, which is difficult to achieve in Malaysia, especially with the amount of rain we had,” said Kartik, whose remarkable list of achievements include winning the FCG Callaway Junior World Championship in July this year.
Kartik noted that he picked up a lot of pointers simply by observing the professionals, especially during the practice rounds. “Watching how the pros practice really taught me a lot about how to prepare myself better for tournaments. I saw how they practice and what they do when playing a course for the first time. Now, whenever I play a course for the first time, I know how to practice and prepare myself better.”
With bad weather curtailing play early on day one, the backlog saw Kartik having to play 27 holes the following day – nine from his first round and a full 18 for round two, on a course that is one of the most difficult walks in the country. It was a tough ask for even the most seasoned professional, let alone a 13-year-old, and Kartik missed the half-way cut of six-over-par after rounds of 74 and 78.
“Maybe I got a bit tired. My putting was not very good. I missed a lot of short putts, so I’ll have to work on that. My driving was good in both tournaments and I hit almost every fairway. So I'm very happy with that part of my game,” said Kartik, who had his father, former naval officer Dhananjay Singh, on the bag for both tournaments.
One thing Kartik will never get tired of is Malaysian food. “I love Malaysian food! We’d walk over to the mall next to the hotel and there was some great local food there,” said Kartik, who stayed at The Royale Chulan Damansara hotel which is connected to The Curve mall.
Kartik’s connection to Malaysia actually goes back to 2018 when he competed in the US Kids Golf World Championship at Tanjung Puteri Golf Resort in Johor, winning the Boys’ Age 8 category. He returned the following year and bagged the Boys' Age 9 title.
Having flown back to India just in time for Diwali, Kartik will have a week off before competing in a local junior event. He intends to spend that time ironing out kinks in his swing with coach Deepinder Kullar, who is based at DLF Golf & Country Club.
“I've been on the road for the last three weeks, so I haven't had much time to practice. I have about one week to hopefully get my game back in shape and fix any problems that might have come into my swing,” said Kartik.
Naming Tiger Woods as his favourite player, Kartik also admires Indian star Shubhankar Sharma who has a strong Malaysian connection as well, having won the 2018 Maybank Championship at Saujana Golf & Country Club.
“Shubhankar and I have similar backgrounds as his father was in the army. I’ve met him a few times and watched him play,” said Kartik.
Currently India’s second-highest player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 202nd spot and the highest-ranked player aged below 14 in the rankings, Kartik says his aim is to play on the PGA Tour.
“My goal is to play on the PGA Tour and hopefully win a few tournaments,” he shared.
With his undeniable talent and maturity beyond his tender years, Kartik certainly has the tools to achieve his goal … and who knows, even more!