"Aim is to win Olympics": Yogya Bhalla after winning 14th Ladies Amateur Open Golf Championship

After winning the 14th Ladies Amateur Open Golf Championship 2024, young Indian golfer Yogya Bhalla said that her aim is to win an Olympic medal for the country. The 14th Ladies Amateur Open Golf Championship 2024 concluded at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday where Yogya Bhalla and Raza Kaur emerged victorious as winner and runner-up respectively in their category.

"I'm really happy. I think it was my mind and Raza Kaur was the person and it was my mind who I was competing against in the tournament. The next big tournament is not in the line-up but my aim is to win the Olympics. I want to achieve a lot of things for the country and for me and my family," Yogya Bhalla said while speaking to ANI.

Yogya Bhalla from Army Public School, Chandimandir, has made remarkable strides in golf, securing the first prize in the 'C' category of the Indian Golf Union - Telangana Ladies' Amateur Championship and showcasing her skills at national-level events like the Hero Women's Indian Open 2024. With seven years of rigorous training at SEPTA Golf Course, her journey from a five-year-old enthusiast to a champion golfer inspires peers to pursue their passions with dedication.

Further, the runner-up Raza Kaur, acknowledged that she couldn't win, but said her performance was better than the last time. She also recalled her inspiration from her father and how he has trained her like a coach.

"I didn't win but still, I feel good. I played better than last time. Last time I came around 4th I think. So, it's an improvement. My aim is to win the Olympic gold. I want to be the first Olympic gold winner for golf. My inspiration is my father. His name is Ranjeet Singh and he's a professional golfer. He's my coach. He's the person who saw the spark in me and he's helping me turn it into a flame," Raza Kaur said.

Raza Kaur, a talented Indian golfer, claimed victory in the girls' category of the Indian Oil Junior and Sub Junior Open Golf Tournament held at Chandigarh Golf Club. Her impressive performance secured her the title of gross winner in this prestigious event.

The three-day 54-hole tournament, which took place on the Lodhi and Peacock course, witnessed 110 talented women golfers showing their mettle on the course. Of these, 22 ladies competed for the championship title. 15-year old Yogya Bhalla (229) and 17-year-old Raza Kaur (235) emerged as winner and runners-up, respectively. A rare feat to achieve on the golf course, Simran Bajaj shot a hole-in-one on the fifth hole, a DGC release said.

This year's competition featured an impressive lineup of players, including rising stars like Yogya Bhalla, Raza Kaur, Mayali Kashyap, Ayesha Gupta, and Bhavya Mann, who are all familiar faces on the international circuits. Like last year, this year's championship was also eligible for World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points. The WAGR, overseen by the R&A and USGA, is a prestigious global ranking system for elite amateur players, featuring over 10,000 participants across more than 4,000 events worldwide. (ANI)