Raushan Sharan: Maintaining winning streak

PATNA: Eleven times Patna 'Golfer of the Year', Raushan Sharan (44) won the prestigious R D Joshi Cup for the 16th time at the 41st Patna Open golf championship which concluded at Patna Golf Club on Sunday.
Around 200 golfers from Patna, Danapur, Kolkata, Delhi, Jamshedpur, Jamalpur, Gorakhpur, Ranchi, Varanasi and Kanpur participated in the three-day tournament which started on February 21.Felicitated by CM Nitish Kumar on Sunday, this amateur golfer has been associated with the game for 40 years now. "I accompanied my father to Patna Golf Club as a toddler and it is because of him that I got closer to the game," said the St Michael's High School and A N College alumnus.
Raushan also claimed he was declared the 'Golfer of the decade', 'Golfer of the century' and 'Golfer of the millennium'. According to Raushan, he has also been awarded the youngest golf captain in the country title for the 2003-2004, 2004-2005 and 2007-2008. "I was only 33 years when I was awarded the title," said Raushan who owns his own business now.
"I have been a scratch golfer and playing with zero handicap for almost 25 years now," said Raushan, adding that it is a matter of pride for him as all golfers dream to become a zero handicap. In layman's term, a scratch golfer is one whose average score for a round of golf is par or better.
When asked why he did not advance to professional level after playing the game for so many years, he said it was due to "personal priorities" and added, "Even best golfer of the world Bobby Jones, too, was an amateur golfer."
To promote golf as a game, he said, the Patna Golf Club has its own golf academy. "Though it is called the game of the elite, one can go for cheapest lessons here," he said. To keep the trend of golf alive in his family, he also motivated his son to take up the sport.