'I could have done better', says 14-year-old World No. 2 golfer Neil Jolly

He is happy but not elated And definitely not content by finishing as the runnerup in FCG World Junior Golf Championship held in California recently This Chandigarhbased 14yearold golfer said ldquoI honestly think I could have done better Right now is the time to analyse the shortcomingsrdquoNeil Jolly who faced the challenge of playing on two different golf courses over three rounds Marriott Desert Springs and Valley Springs and carded an overall six underpar finishing second behind J Hu started playing golf at the age of fourldquoI cannot pinpoint what attracted me towards the game when I was four years old but there was a peculiar fascination towards it However after a few years I focussed on other games like cricket During the COVID19 pandemic I returned to golf and picked it up again this time very seriously What I like most about it is that it is highly competitive and there is no politics itrsquos just you and the courserdquo said JollyIn fact Chandigarh is called the lsquoCradle of Indian Golfrsquo Not just Jeev Milkha Singh the first Indian to qualify for the European and Japanese PGA Tours the Chandigarh Golf Club has been a playing field to some of Indiarsquos top golfers including Shubahkar Sharma Gaganjeet Bhullar Ajitesh Sandhu Harinder Gupta Ranjit Singh Sujjan Singh Akshay Sharma Karandeep Kochhar Adil Bedi Harmeet Kahlon Amandeep Johl Gurbaaz Mann Irina Brar and Parneeta GarewalJolly agrees that living in Chandigarh has been a great help to his training ldquoThe distances are less and golfing facilities are top of the line One has players to look up to while training Most importantly my coach Jaskirat Jesse Singh Grewal lives here I can approach him anytime Even when I am travelling abroad for a tournament and ask him a question there is an immediate revertrdquo said the player who is currently placed second in the IGU category B rankingsFor this youngster studying in class IX the day starts at 430 am and there are alternate days of practice and fitness Ask him how he balances academics and sports and he smiles ldquoWell even I do not know that but I do manage The authorities at Strawberry Fields High School where I study have been extremely cooperativerdquoAdding that his parents Vikrum and Seema Jolly have been a source of strength he said ldquoNot only do they support they are always honest with me They will tell me if I am not putting in enough work or overdoing thingsrdquoCurrently focussing on College Golf he said ldquoIf I am really good by the time I am 17 years old I will turn prordquoSpeaking to us from Paris coach Jaskirat Singh Jesse Grewal who is at the Olympic Games with the golfers he has trained Shubhankar Sharma Gaganjit Bhullar Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar who are participating in the games said about Jolly who he has been coaching for four years now ldquoHe is a hardworking sportsman who is very focussed on his game The kind of effort he puts in every tournament is commendable his performance at FCG World Junior Golf Championship proves that Also he has been doing extremely well in the IGU circuitrdquoStressing that Chandigarh has always boasted of a good sports culture be it golf shooting tennis or other games Grewal said ldquoThe distances in this city are relatively less so it is not a hassle to drop kids for training Also the Golf Club here is now focussing on juniors In many Golf Clubs in the country children are not even allowed on the greens The Chandigarh Golf Association CGA has an excellent range and provides all facilities for juniors to play Overall Chandigarh is a great city for golfers No wonder many young golfers from across the country have been shifting hererdquoNeilrsquos father Vikrum Jolly said that the young golfer has had a competitive spirit since childhood ldquoHe must be five or six years old and we took him for a tournament at the Forest Hill Golf ampamp Country Club resort in Chandigarh where he came second He was so disappointed that he started crying He would come to our room early in the morning and wake us up so we could take him for practicerdquo shared his fatherThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever