Eden Prairie’s Pranay Singh faces a dilemma. When asked to name his favorite golf memory, he has a hard time deciding. Is it last year’s hole-in-one he carded on the No. 7 hole at Waters Edge in Shakopee, or the up-and-down that iced last week’s Pepsi Little People World Golf Championship Tournament in Quincy, Ill.?
When pressed, the soon-to-be first-grader wearing the Snoopy belt picks the up-and-down.
“The kid he was playing against hit his tee shot a couple feet from the hole,” said Vivek Kumar, Pranay’s father. “Pranay chunked his. It was the last hole and Pranay was leading by three. If the other kid birdies and Pranay gets a five, it’s a tie.”
Singh’s second shot settled just off the green, some 20 yards from the hole.
By the time he hit his third shot, the green was ringed with an estimated 100 spectators.
Going for par, he hit a flop shot that bounced once and then rolled in the cup. Game over.
Singh finished with a two-round 61 (30, 31), besting the second-place finisher (Texas’ Rohan Kommineni) by four strokes. The field included 30 golfers.
His all-time favorite golf memory? “Winning,” he said.
Early start
Yes, Singh started golfing at an early age.
“He started walking at 11 months,” said his dad, “and held his first club shortly after that.”
At first, he used plastic clubs and a plastic ball. From there, he progressed from a plastic ball to a real ball. The rest, as they say, is history.
His favorite club? “Driver,” he said, “because it goes far.”
At a hair shy of four feet, the 6-year-old can hit a ball 140 yards.
But that’s not his strength; his strength is his short game, minus the putting.
“He’d rather hit from just off the green than just on the green,” said his dad.
As one might guess, his golfing ability has attracted some attention.
“More experienced golfers watch him swing and get pretty depressed,” said mom.
The true measure of his ability, however, can be seen on the course.
“They see us at the tee box,” said dad, “and right away think they’ll play through.”
“But they never catch us,” adds Singh.
In July, Singh will take his game to San Diego, where he’ll compete in the Junior World Championships, a tournament that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson won in their youth.
Last year, Singh finished 21st. This year’s goal? “Winning,” he said, while adding that he thinks he’ll have to shoot a one-under- par 53 to do so.
When asked if he’s ever finished under par, he smiled before he answered. “Not yet,” he said.
Read more: Eden Prairie News - EP 6 year old wins Little People World Golf Championship
0 comments:
Post a Comment