Akshay scripts ‘successful raid’ on golf course

NOIDA: Akshay Sharma tried his hand in cricket and kabaddi before moving to golf. “The politics of team sport was difficult to bear,” he said. Winner of the QA Infotech Open by six shots with a bogey-free final round of sevenunder 65, the breakthrough win on the Professional Golf Tour of India vindicated Akshay’s stand to stick it out despite hardship.

The 28-year-old felt he could have made it in kabaddi, having led his school team in Chandigarh, but “factors beyond my control” stalled his progress. On Friday, the win at the Noida Golf Course, with the tournament’s best round, put a lid on the past.

As he looked beyond kabaddi, living near the Chandigarh Golf Club had helped. He took up caddying while learning the sport by watching seasoned professionals Harendra Gupta and Ranjit Singh. With no experience of amateur golf, Akshay turned pro in 2011. Finance remained an issue as his earnings were never enough despite assistance from the club and some members.

Barring the odd-strong finish, it was about breaking even on tour and keeping his playing rights till a chance meeting with Jeev Milkha Singh changed his perspective about two seasons back. What was a one-off round is now a regular feature whenever Jeev is in Chandigarh. Among the finer points Akshay learnt was coping with pressure. Even before tee-off in the final round, Jeev’s advice was “not to think too much”. This and the inputs from his caddy on reading the greens were evident as Akshay started with three birdies.

Final top scores: 277: Akshay Sharma (73, 70, 69, 65); 283: Mithun Perera (69, 71, 73, 70); 284: Arjun Prasad (69, 71, 73, 71); 285: Ankur Chadha (75, 74, 68, 68); Chiragh Kumar (69, 73, 73, 70); Mari Muthu R (72, 72, 71, 70) .