Kartik SIngh and his father, Dhananjay. Pic: V Krishnswamy
Melbourne, Australia: Kartik Singh is just 13 but seems to be learning by the minute on his debut appearance in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at the storied Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
The course is intriguing and exciting for Kartik, because even someone like Tiger Woods has in the past showered praise on the creation of Dr Alister MacKenzie, who also designed Augusta National.
Kartik wants to experience it to know why Woods loves it and wants to play well on it.
Kartik is a fast learner. His personal record for solving the Rubik’s Cube is 10.92 seconds (he came quite close to that when he showed his skill on camera here, too).
At Melbourne, he bounced back from an opening seven-over 78 with a one-over 72 on day two.
Kartik, who turns 14 in January 2024, is the youngest player in this week’s 120-strong field. He’s also possibly the youngest in the 14-year history of the tournament to make the cut.
“I don’t know the part about it being a record, but it’s nice to be able to play on the weekend and have a chance to improve,” said Kartik, who loves the challenge of playing a new golf course.
The bigger the challenge, the more he loves it, says his father, Dhananjay Singh, a former Naval officer.
Tucking into a bowl of pasta and fries following his second round, Kartik said: “In the first round I had a five-putt triple-bogey on the second hole and another bogey on the third. The five-putt was from around 25-30 feet. It just kept going up and down.
“I was four-over after three holes and therefore happy to be three-over for the remaining 15 holes in the first round.”
He bogeyed the second hole in the second round. He’s also had problems at the 10th, where he’s bogeyed on both days. But the fourth and 11th have proved to his liking with birdies on both days.
“On the first day I was getting hard bounces and was running off the green after landing on it,” he said. “So I changed my strategy. I kept the ball short and it seemed to run ahead. It worked.
“The conditions were tougher yesterday. It was better today (Friday), but I had to adjust as we don’t have wind like this (back home) and the course is hard and the greens very fast. But I am enjoying it.”
In July, he had a chance to play the US Kids World Championships at Pinehurst, but he bypassed it when he qualified for the US Junior Amateur at the Daniel Island Club in South Carolina. He was eliminated in stroke play but the experience was amazing.
So, what’s so great about this week in Australia? “The facilities are so good, the food like pasta, the course … actually everything is so good. It feels like a big professional event,” said Kartik, who is coached by the quiet but highly-focused DLF Gurgaon-based Deepinder Khullar, fast becoming a favourite for young stars in northern India.
Kartik has a scholarship to study in a hybrid fashion with the Northern Pre-University, which has a Canadian affiliation, but is based in Thailand. Kartik only needs to go there for exams. The study work and classes are available online.
With another one of his infectious grins, Kartik added: “I get all the time to play golf. But for now, I am looking forward to the final two rounds and in the long run I want to be a pro golfer.”
Kartik is loving every step around Royal Melbourne this week and is totally engaged and committed to everything he sees and does. And, why not? The AAC, supported by Augusta National, The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), has the feel of a Major and it sets up the best young stars of the region to aspire for the very best in the future.
