Change of equipment does wonders for Jaipur amateur Kriti

JAIPUR: Golf is a game of precision and equipment is a player's biggest ally. Current Fedex Cup standings leader Bryson DeChambeau and 24-time PGA Tour winner Dustin Johnson have emphasised the need of using the right equipment to derive best results. Taking cue from their career Jaipur-based Kriti Chowhan changed her golf set and it is already fetching results.
The 16-year-old, daughter of Col. Tapan Chowhan, emerged as the best amateur at the just concluded sixth leg of the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour (HWPGT) at the Rambagh Golf Club on Friday. She carded rounds of 76, 71 and 69 at the par-70 course to finish third overall, seven strokes behind eventual winner Tvesa Malik (71-66-72). Kriti finished ahead of amateurs Avani Prashanth (Eighth; 222) of Bengaluru and Mumbai's Nishna Patel (Tied 11th; 225).
She is currently ranked eighth among juniors and 10th among ladies amateurs on the IGU merit list. Her World Amateur Golf Ranking is 1148. During the lockdown period owing to the Covid-19 situation, she participated in limited number of tournaments. Kriti stood 10th in Leg 7 at the Noida Golf Course and best amateur in Leg 8 at the DLF Golf & Country Club, emerging overall fourth. In her first-ever appearance abroad, the teenager lifted the runner-up trophy in Cat B (U-15) in Menpora-Pagi International Junior golf tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia, in July 2019 with participants from 18 countries.
"Post the lockdown I played my first tournament in Noida where I finished tenth and the very next week I emerged as the best amateur in Gurugram. Thereafter, this is my first tournament after almost a three month gap. So, it's highly satisfying to be declared the amateur winner. I didn't play in the last five legs of the HWPGT as I changed my golf set. It took me some time to adjust to the new set," Kriti tells TOI with a smile.
"I changed from Callaway X Hot to Callaway Apex. With the new set my shots are much more consistent. The key to winning is consistency. Earlier when I hit a powerful shot it would either draw or fade but this set gives me more penetrating strokes, a consistent straight trajectory. The wedges are also giving me better results. I am getting a lot of spin with the wedges on RGC's hard greens. Earlier the ball would run past the greens but with the new wedges it was landing at better spots," explains the four-time Major champion Rory McIlroy fan.
Ever thought rabbits could act as trigger for someone to take up golf. Sample this.
"We were in Pathankot and there were many rabbits in the golf course and I loved them. So that's why my father used to take me to the golf course and let me play with the rabbits in exchange of trying my hand at golf with him. That's how I picked it up and slowly it got interesting. But my actual training started three months later in Pune at the Army course. I was 8 years old when I started playing with my father. He always wanted to become a sportsperson. He was a national basketball player in his time but due to knee injury his journey stopped, prompting him to switch to golf. So he wanted me to fulfil his dream. He has been my coach all this while and has inspired and motivated me throughout," says Kriti, who trains under Monish Bindra at Jaypee Greens in Greater Noida once every two months.
With support from Jayshree Periwal High School (JPHS) near Chitrakoot here, Kriti is able to manage her Class XII studies well.
"I am studying in Class XII with core subject being commerce. I chose commerce as it is easier to manage with golf vis-a-vis science and maths. JPHS has always supported me ever since I moved to Jaipur in 2019 due to my father's transfer here. They allow me to leave and arrange for extra classes when I miss out due to travelling for tournaments," says the 2019 Billoo Sethi Trophy winner, who scored 83 per cent in her Class X board exams.
So what is her big target in the next couple of years?
"My biggest aim for the next 3-5 years is to represent India in the Asian Games and other top international tournaments. For this season is to play as best as I can and to finish off in the top-5 of IGU's Order of Merit," she signed off.
Know Chowhan
Born: July 16, 2004 (Age 16 years)
Residence: Jaipur, Rajasthan
Top amateur results:2015 - Runner-up in Ultimate Golf Junior Championship, Winner in North Zone IGU Sub-Junior & Feeder Tour, Runner-up in Albatross Northern India, Winner in US Kids European Tour pre-qualifier thereby earning a ticket to play in Scotland; 2016 - Winner in US Kids Nationals; 2017 - Winner of Junior Girls North Zone Imperial golf tournament, Four Top-10 finishes in Cat B of IGU Ladies and Junior Girls Tour; 2018 - Runner-up in Albatross National Qualifier (Under 14 yrs), Winner in North Zone IGU Junior & Feeder Tour, Runner- up in IGU All India Nationals; 2019 - Third position in Southern India IGU Ladies and Jr Girls (under 15 yrs), Winner of IGU Ladies and Junior Girls NCR Cup, Winner of Billoo Sethi Trophy at 103rd All India Ladies Amateur Championship; 2020 - Winner of Young Masters Golf Tournament, Best amateur in eighth leg of Hero Women Pro Golf Tour at DLF Golf & Country Club, Best amateur in sixth leg of Hero Women Pro Golf Tour at Rambagh Golf Club, Jaipur.